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Democrats are quickly coalescing around Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed following his narrow Tuesday primary win.
Several lawmakers who previously backed his competitor Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) said it was time to change course and support the party nominee wholeheartedly.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who decided against a reelection bid, said the “stakes could not be higher.”
“Both candidates ran strong campaigns focused on improving the lives of all Michiganders. But now it’s time to come together as a party and rally around our nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, to make sure Mike Rogers never sees the floor of the U.S. Senate,” Peters, who previously endorsed Stevens, wrote in a Wednesday post on social platform X.
“If elected, Mike Rogers would be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump, standing idly by as he cuts taxes for billionaires, makes health care more expensive, and drags us further into a war with Iran that has no end in sight,” he added.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), who also backed Stevens, congratulated El-Sayed alongside other Democratic primary winners Tuesday and wrote, “They’ve got my support as we fight like hell together to win in November,” in a post on X.
“Together, let’s stop MAGA Republicans so we can get to work and deliver results for the people of Michigan,” she added.
Stevens and fellow Democratic challenger Mallory McMorrow conceded to El-Sayed on Wednesday and threw their full support behind the party nominee.
The latest vote count from Decision Desk HQ shows El-Sayed won the nomination by a single percentage point.
However, his policies and campaign platform points are vastly different from his former competitors.
El-Sayed strongly opposes the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in stark contrast to Stevens and supports “Medicare for All” as a doctor and former public health official.
He’s never served as an elected official, but Democrats say 2026 could offer a new start in politics for El-Sayed.
Still, Peters says it is crucial that the Democratic nominee campaigns in rural portions of Michigan.
“In order to win in Michigan, you have to have support in rural areas. … You certainly need to build a coalition with rural voters,” Peters told Punchbowl News.
“The way to earn support in — Haley Stevens, that’s where she got a lot of her support, in rural areas — is just talking about issues that they care about,” he added.
El-Sayed, who is Muslim, will face pushback in the form of paid ads and campaign hit pieces launched not only by Republicans but also by AIPAC for his vocal support of Palestine.
AIPAC wrote that its “members remain determined to ensure that voters reject Dr. El-Sayed and his radical anti-Israel agenda in November.”
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