Abdul El-Sayed beats Haley Stevens by 1 point in Michigan Senate primary

Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, edging Rep. Haley Stevens by about 1 percentage point in one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterms. With 99% of the vote counted, El-Sayed had 48.5% to Stevens’ 47.5%, while Mallory McMorrow, who suspended her campaign last month, drew 4%. El-Sayed, a progressive and former public health official who has never held elected office, now moves on to face former Rep. Mike Rogers in November. The race is expected to be pivotal in the fight for Senate control after Democratic Sen. Gary Peters decided to leave the seat open. The primary also exposed tensions inside the Democratic Party, with Stevens backed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Debbie Stabenow, while El-Sayed ran against heavy outside spending and won support from Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.