The high-profile Democratic primary for Michigan’s open Senate seat remained close Wednesday morning, with progressive favorite Abdul El-Sayed clinging to a narrow lead over the more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens.
With more than 95 percent of the vote counted, El-Sayed, a former local public health official, had 48.6 percent of the vote to 47.3 percent for Stevens, The Associated Press reported. Former state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who dropped out of the race last month but remained on the ballot, had 4 percent.
El-Sayed’s campaign claimed victory just after 7 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday.
“Michiganders have spoken,” campaign manager Alia Kapasi said in a statement. “This was always going to be the many versus the money, and tonight, we have shown that Michiganders want money out of politics, money in their pockets, and Medicare for all.”
The intense and expensive race pitted Democrats’ establishment and progressive wings against each other and drew more than $80 million in spending and sparked several personal attacks, which could make it more challenging for the winner to unite the party against former Rep. Mike Rogers, who was unopposed for the Republican nomination Tuesday.
El-Sayed had the backing of prominent progressive politicians, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Stevens had much of the party establishment behind her, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
U.S. policy on Israel became a defining issue in the race, as did the political power of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the role of corporate money in politics. El-Sayed, who has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, criticized Stevens over her votes to continue funding Israel’s military and the roughly $30 million spent on her behalf by AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project.
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race a Toss-up.
13th District
Meanwhile, the Democratic primary for a Detroit-area House seat remained uncalled early Wednesday, with Rep. Shri Thanedar trailing challenger Donavan McKinney in the 13th District.
With 73 percent of votes in, McKinney, a state representative and self-described democratic socialist, had 51.6 percent of the vote to 48.4 percent for the incumbent, the AP reported.
Thanedar, who is Indian American, was first elected to the plurality-Black district with just 28 percent in 2022, when several Black Democrats split the remaining vote. Two years later, he scraped by with 55 percent against two opponents, who had significantly fewer resources.
But he faced a tougher challenge this year in a one-on-one race against McKinney, who is Black and argued that majority-Black Detroit needs Black representation in Congress. McKinney also campaigned on an unabashedly progressive agenda and rallied with Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez and neighboring Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
7th District
Progressives claimed victory Tuesday in Michigan’s battleground 7th District, with William Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, winning a three-way Democratic primary for the Lansing-based seat.
With more than 95 percent of votes in, Lawrence was leading with 44 percent, the AP reported, while a pair of centrists with national security backgrounds split the remaining vote. Bridget Brink, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, was at 29 percent and retired Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam had 28 percent.
With Lawrence’s win, progressives now face a test of whether one of their own can flip a purple district. Many establishment Democrats saw his opponents as stronger general election candidates against Republican Rep. Tom Barrett. Maasdam won a late endorsement from Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who represented the district for three terms, while Brink had the support of several Lansing-area officials. Lawrence, whose backers included Sanders and Tlaib, also drew criticism during the primary over his past comments criticizing Black Democratic leaders.
Barrett, who was unopposed for the GOP nomination Tuesday, has proved to be a strong fundraiser and had $2.9 million on hand as of July 15, according to Federal Election Commission records. He flipped the 7th District in 2024, winning the seat by about 4 points two years after losing his first congressional bid to Slotkin.
Republicans were optimistic that Barrett’s path to reelection will be easier against Lawrence, whose progressive policy stances they have argued are out of step with the district.
“The Democrats’ path to the House majority is evaporating in real time,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement.
Inside Elections rates the race a Toss-up.
10th District
Former special victims prosecutor Christina Hines won the Democratic nomination for the 10th District, an open battleground seat north of Detroit vacated by Rep. John James, who clinched the GOP nod for governor Tuesday.
With more than 95 percent of the vote in, Hines was leading a three-way field with 47 percent, the AP reported, ahead of former Commerce Department attorney Eric Chung, who had 30 percent and former state House Minority Leader Tim Greimel with 23 percent.
Hines will face Republican Army Mike Bouchard, who easily won his primary after consolidating party support following endorsements from Trump and the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Both parties see the 10th District as competitive, while Inside Elections rates the race Tilt Republican.
Other races
The fall matchup was set in Michigan’s 4th District in the state’s southwestern corner, with Republican incumbent Bill Huizenga and Democratic state Sen. Sean McCann easily winning their primaries. Inside Elections rates the race Lean Republican.
The Republican primary for the battleground 8th District remained uncalled Wednesday morning, with retired engineer Thomas Smith, who had reportedly dropped out of the contest last month, leading Navy veteran Amir Hassan, who had Trump’s endorsement. The winner will face Democratic freshman Kristin McDonald Rivet in November.
And in the race to succeed Haley in the House, state Sen. Jeremy Moss prevailed over more progressive challengers in the 11th District. He will be strongly favored in the fall in the deep-blue suburban Detroit seat.
