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Progressive Abdul El-Sayed is projected to defeat Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) in the fiercely fought Michigan Democratic Senate primary to take on former Rep. Mike Rogers (R) for the battleground seat in November, according to Decision Desk HQ.
El-Sayed’s primary victory delivers a blow to the Democratic establishment that lined up behind Stevens in recent weeks. The two Democrats embodied the party’s ongoing fight over the direction of the party in 2026, 2028 and beyond. El-Sayed championed a progressive, populist message while Stevens appealed to the middle lane.
El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, was backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), while Stevens notched support from outgoing Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
“I am so proud to be your Democratic nominee for US Senate,” El-Sayed said in a post on X Wednesday morning. “Let’s win in November.”
Recent polling showed El-Sayed coming out on top Tuesday, but suggested a general election against Rogers would be more of an uphill battle. The Democratic nominee, however, did statistically tie with Rogers in some surveys.
The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates the Michigan Senate seat as a “toss up.”
Issues around electability, outside spending and Israel support dominated one of the most expensive Senate primaries on record.
Stevens made electability a core tenant of her pitch, pointing to her flip of a GOP-held seat in 2018.
“I’m the only one on this stage who has flipped a Republican seat, and I was named Michigan’s most effective Democratic lawmaker in Congress because my only focus is you,” Stevens said during a debate last month. “Abdul is running for celebrity. Republicans are propping up his campaign.”
El-Sayed, meanwhile, attacked Stevens over outside spending in the race supporting her candidacy, particularly United Democracy Project (UDP) — the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) super PAC. UDP has spent over $30 million backing Stevens and attacking El-Sayed.
“Just last week, our friend here voted to send $3.3 billion of your tax dollars to a foreign government. That is the pro quo that comes with a quid of $30 million spent by AIPAC,” El-Sayed said last month at the same debate, referring to Stevens’ vote against a House amendment that would have eliminated some aid to Israel.
El-Sayed has been a vocal critic of Israel, calling its actions in Gaza a “genocide” and arguing that the U.S. should not be sending more aid to the country.
Stevens, meanwhile, has said she supports a two-state solution but does not consider Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide” and is against conditioning aid to Israel. She’s pointed to criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an example of her standing up to leaders of U.S. allies.
Updated at 8:49 a.m. EDT
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