The Michigan Democratic Senate primary has been one of the most competitive primaries in the country. Senator Gary Peters is retiring, and there are three main candidates vying to take his place. Haley Stevens, a moderate representative, Mallory McMorrow, a state senator from Royal Oak, and physician Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive backed by Bernie Sanders.
All three candidates have faced extreme opposition campaigns by the other candidates in the race, reflective of the current infighting in the Democratic party between moderates, liberals, and progressives. Stevens has drawn criticism for her heavy backing from AIPAC, as Israel has dropped significantly in Democratic favorability (80% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have an unfavorable view of Israel, the lowest ever).
McMorrow has faced accusations from the left of doing too little to address Arab and Muslim voters’ needs in Michigan, which has a high Muslim population.
Progressive El-Sayed has faced the most criticism out of any candidate. In a leaked phone call, he reportedly said that he didn’t want to comment on the death of Ayatollah Khamenei because many people in Dearborn were mourning, which drew pushback from both McMorrow and Stevens. However, much of his criticism has come from his pro-Palestinian views.
El-Sayed has, for the first time in the race, tied with frontrunner McMorrow in recent polling. An Emerson poll showed El-Sayed and McMorrow both polling at 24%. El-Sayed is now the close favorite to win on Polymarket, the first time since his entry into the primary.
El-Sayed’s polling increase came after his campaign received national attention after he appeared at a rally with Hasan Piker. This event drew extreme criticism from the other candidates in the field, including McMorrow who compared Piker to white supremacism Nick Fuentes.
The event also ignited a broader discussion in the Democratic party, on whether its future lies in moderate or progressive politics. Despite the criticism El-Sayed received from other candidates, as well as current Senator Elissa Slotkin, his appearance with Piker gave a short-term benefit to his campaign. His fundraising jumped by 221%, and his volunteer signups increased by 29%.
Michigan’s primary is a microcosm of the greater fight in the Democratic party between the incumbent moderate flank and the growing progressive flank. Both sides take a different approach to Democratic victory. Moderates aim for the votes of disaffected Independents and moderate Republicans, who have lost support of Trump, while progressives aim to recapture the votes of working-class Americans and disaffected progressive Democrats who did not vote for Harris in 2024.
For now, the race is tied between the two flanks, but Michigan’s primary result could be an indicator of the future of the Democrats.