Michigan Senate Primary: Haley Stevens vs Abdul El-Sayed Ahead of August Vote

With Michigan’s August 4 Senate primary approaching, Representative Haley Stevens is making a straightforward argument to Democratic voters: she wins. Her opponent, progressive Abdul El-Sayed, is making an equally direct counterargument: winning isn’t enough if it means more of the same.

The stakes could hardly be higher. Holding Michigan’s Senate seat is considered essential to any Democratic path back to the Senate majority in November — and that imperative has only grown after Maine Democratic nominee Graham Platner announced plans to drop out following a sexual assault allegation, threatening another seat Democrats had hoped to keep competitive.

Stevens: A Record of Winning Tough Races

Stevens flipped a Republican-held House seat in suburban Detroit in 2018 and has not lost a race since, including surviving a bruising primary against a fellow Democratic incumbent after redistricting in 2022. She points to that record as her defining qualification.

“It is not a hypothetical that I beat Republicans,” Stevens told the Associated Press after a campaign stop in West Michigan. “I win tough races. I have had Republicans throw everything at me and still managed to win.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, former Senator Debbie Stabenow, and a growing list of Michigan Democratic establishment figures have coalesced behind Stevens, arguing she gives the party the strongest shot against Republican Mike Rogers — who came within 20,000 votes of winning Michigan’s Senate seat in 2024 and is running again.

Stevens campaigns with the retail ease of a veteran. At a pet supply store in South Haven, she moved comfortably between small talk and campaign pitches, chatting with the owner about the area, greeting reporters by first name, and asking customers about their lives before requesting their votes. “I thought she was great fun,” said store owner Roxanne Leder. “She was energetic and had a positive outlook.”

Her allies acknowledge she lacks the viral progressive moments that have driven El-Sayed’s rise, but say she excels in small rooms, union halls, and local businesses — the kinds of settings where statewide Michigan elections are actually won. “Unlike my opponent, I’m not running at the first mic or camera I see,” Stevens said during a debate Tuesday. “We do not need a celebrity senator. We need a workhorse.”

El-Sayed: Democrats Don’t Have to Move to the Middle

El-Sayed has built his Michigan Senate primary campaign around Medicare for All, campaign finance reform, abolishing ICE, and ending all US weapons sales to Israel. He has rejected corporate PAC money and positioned himself as an alternative to Democratic Party business as usual, drawing packed rallies and high-profile progressive endorsers including Senator Bernie Sanders and, in a break from Democratic leadership, Senator Chris Van Hollen.

“People don’t want a moderate. They want somebody who’s going to come in and effect change,” said Dave Burdick, 71, a Douglas, Michigan resident backing El-Sayed. El-Sayed has also secured an endorsement from the United Auto Workers, a union with significant influence in Michigan Democratic politics.

El-Sayed’s supporters argue that Michigan has a strong populist streak that rewards outsiders. In 2016, Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton in the state’s Democratic presidential primary. Trump carried Michigan in both 2016 and 2024 by building his own anti-establishment coalition. “They’re still mad,” Burdick said of Michigan voters. “They portray people like Abdul as unrealistic, but I think it’s unrealistic to think that we can continue the way that we’re heading.”

Outside Money Becomes a Flashpoint

Stevens has benefited from more than $30 million in outside spending — dwarfing the resources behind El-Sayed. The largest single spender is United Democracy Project, the AIPAC-affiliated super PAC, which has spent more than $13 million on Stevens’ behalf and reserved an additional $7 million before the primary. For many progressive voters, that spending is disqualifying.

“I would not vote for Stevens in the general election because of her support from AIPAC,” said Burdick, reflecting a position held by a vocal segment of the primary electorate. Leder, the store owner, said she expects to vote for Stevens in August largely out of familiarity, but added she plans to keep researching before making a final decision. “I’m just a Democrat,” she said. “Please, please no Mike Rogers.”

A Two-Person Race After McMorrow Exits

The race sharpened significantly after state Senator Mallory McMorrow suspended her campaign Sunday, prompting several prominent Democrats to formally back Stevens, including the advocacy group EMILY’s List and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. “Haley is wicked smart, has won multiple highly competitive races, and she connects with people on a level so sincere and genuine that everyone who meets her feels truly seen and heard,” Nessel said.

Lori Goldman, founder of Fems for Dems — an influential Democratic grassroots group in Oakland County — said she personally plans to vote for El-Sayed despite her organization not making an endorsement. “I personally am not going to have business as usual when I go to the ballot box,” she said. “People are breaking away from the party line. People want change.”