Abdul El-Sayed has won the Democratic primary for the US Senate seat in Michigan, securing the party’s nomination ahead of November’s midterm election and setting up a general election against Republican Mike Rogers. The Associated Press called the race on Wednesday morning shortly after Haley Stevens’s campaign said she had phoned El-Sayed to concede. The result follows a pattern of contests in which progressives have captured Democratic nominations in races across the country. Progressive Challenger Over Moderate Incumbent-Style OpponentEl-Sayed, a progressive former public health official, defeated Stevens, a moderate US representative backed by senior figures in the party. The margin was relatively close, reflecting ongoing uncertainty among voters in the battleground state about the direction of Democrats. El-Sayed, 41, campaigned on Medicare for All, proposing a universal healthcare model. His campaign also confronted what he described as unusually heavy outside spending aimed at undermining him. Stevens, who served as chief of staff to work on the US auto rescue taskforce, leaned on her record from the rescue effort as she sought to position herself as an experienced lawmaker within the Democratic mainstream. Next Fight Against Mike RogersRogers, a former congressman from Michigan, will be the Republican nominee. He previously ran for the Senate seat in 2024 and lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin. If El-Sayed wins in November, he would be the first Muslim member of the US Senate. While he has said he is not a democratic socialist, his nomination came amid broader wins by democratic socialist candidates elsewhere. He has described himself as “a capitalist who understands how capitalism works” and said he wants to regulate monopolies. Democrats are aiming to retain Michigan’s seat as part of their effort to win back control of the Senate this year. Michigan has voted for different presidential candidates in recent elections: Donald Trump won the state in 2016 and 2024, while Joe Biden won it in 2020. Both of Michigan’s current senators are Democrats. Outside Spending, Obama Ad Attention, And Black VotersEl-Sayed’s campaign highlighted the scale of spending against him. At a press conference on Wednesday, he said tens of millions of dollars were spent in the primary and criticised the advertising campaign, claiming the race showed “the power of our many”. More than $40m also flowed into the contest from outside groups supporting Stevens or attacking El-Sayed, including groups linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), a pro-Israel lobby. Some advertisements promoted Stevens’s connection to Barack Obama on the auto rescue, a link voters treated as a quasi-endorsement even though Obama did not formally back either candidate. In the final weeks, the role of Black voters featured prominently, with both campaigns seeking to boost turnout in Black communities, which make up about one-fifth of the Democratic primary electorate, through events at churches and festivals. Party Unity Effort After Stevens ConcedesStevens had support from establishment Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader. El-Sayed received endorsements from prominent progressives such as Bernie Sanders. Earlier in the summer, the race had also included Mallory McMorrow, a state senator, before she dropped out. In early Wednesday updates, McMorrow threw her backing behind El-Sayed, issuing an endorsement ahead of November. Stevens, in a statement after conceding, said: “I spoke with Abdul a few moments ago to offer him my full support as we work to defeat Mike Rogers this November.” After the contest remained too close to call for much of Wednesday morning, El-Sayed took the stage at Detroit’s Majestic Theater shortly after 1am, telling supporters to stay patient as votes were counted. He later framed his win as evidence that a grassroots campaign could compete against large outside expenditures, and called on Democrats to unite behind the eventual nominee. “Tomorrow we begin to mend fences,” El-Sayed said, adding that more unites Democrats than divides them. Elsewhere in the Michigan Democratic ballot, progressive candidates also secured nominations for the House. These included climate activist William Lawrence and Donavan McKinney, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, both backed by Bernie Sanders. AQMOfReDv059LMfJfTTFBRQS4XAfb6BkCE5nnR_p_kxddqPPe643GwIsRQjOu7SoLqZbfRJuc8L3Xe6OnM4K9f7XOMA93hXTkQ7p_xXuKg.mp4 Join the discussion? 6 August 2026
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