El-Sayed Defeated U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens After a Costly Democratic Primary and Will Face Republican Mike Rogers in November
Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate early Wednesday, scoring a major victory for the party’s progressive wing in one of the nation’s most closely watched primary contests.
El-Sayed defeated four-term U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens following a tight race that remained unresolved for hours after polls closed Tuesday. Stevens called El-Sayed to concede Wednesday morning, according to his campaign.
“I am proud to offer my support as he takes on Mike Rogers in the general election,” Stevens said in a statement.
“This was a thorough and rigorous campaign that brought out the full span of views within the Democratic Party — and that is why we have primaries,” she added.
Also Read: Bernie Sanders Says “Change Is Coming” After Progressive New York Primary Wins
El-Sayed will face Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman who was unopposed for his party’s nomination, in the November general election. The race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is considered critical to Democrats’ efforts to regain control of the Senate.
El-Sayed Calls for Democratic Unity
El-Sayed acknowledged the divisions created by the contentious primary while speaking to supporters at Detroit’s Majestic Theatre before the race was officially called.
“Tomorrow we begin to mend fences,” El-Sayed said.
He also urged Democrats to unite behind the goal of defeating Rogers.
“Whatever happens tonight, we have a responsibility to ensure that we unite, unite to make sure that Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the U.S. Senate,” he said.
Stevens’ endorsement could help El-Sayed begin bringing together a Democratic electorate divided between the party’s progressive and establishment wings.
El-Sayed’s victory represents a dramatic political turnaround. He previously sought the Democratic nomination for Michigan governor in 2018 but lost to Gretchen Whitmer by 21 percentage points.
Progressive Platform Overcomes Outside Spending
A former Wayne County health director, El-Sayed campaigned on passing “Medicare for All,” reforming campaign finance laws and ending U.S. military aid to Israel.
He received backing from several prominent progressive leaders, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Chris Van Hollen.
Van Hollen called El-Sayed’s victory a warning to the Democratic establishment in Washington.
“He was running against a lot of Washington insiders as well as parts of the Michigan Democratic establishment. And he won,” Van Hollen said. “That’s an incredible story.”
Peters, who had endorsed Stevens, also congratulated El-Sayed following his victory.
The primary became a national test of whether a progressive candidate could overcome the Democratic establishment and unprecedented outside spending in a politically divided battleground state.
Organizations supporting Stevens spent more than $50 million during the race, including more than $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and affiliated groups, according to the Associated Press.
Stevens emphasized manufacturing, economic policy and her history of winning competitive elections. She previously served as chief of staff for President Barack Obama’s auto industry task force before being elected to Congress in 2018.
El-Sayed positioned himself as the anti-establishment alternative, arguing that Democrats must reject corporate influence and offer voters a more ambitious economic agenda.
Michigan Race Could Help Decide Senate Control
El-Sayed now enters what is expected to be a difficult and expensive general election against Rogers.
Republican organizations have already reserved significant advertising money for the Michigan contest, while Democrats view retaining the seat as essential to any path toward taking control of the Senate.
The race could also test whether El-Sayed’s progressive platform can appeal beyond Democratic primary voters in a state that remains closely divided between the two parties.
In a separate Detroit-area primary, state Rep. Donavan McKinney defeated U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar for the Democratic nomination in Michigan’s heavily Democratic 13th Congressional District.
McKinney emphasized that Detroit had been left without a Black member of Congress after Thanedar’s election in 2022 — the first time the majority-Black city lacked Black congressional representation since the early 1950s.
