Michigan voters will decide in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary which of two candidates will run against Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers in November for a U.S. Senate seat.
Current U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat, chose not to run for a third six-year term in this year’s election. Peters has represented Michigan in the U.S. Senate since 2015.
Here’s a look at who is running in the Aug. 4 elections, what voters will decide and how the races set up:
The three, yes, three names on the Democratic ballot
This is, for all intents and purposes, a race between two candidates for the Democratic nomination to succeed Peters: former Wayne County and Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed of Ann Arbor and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham. But voters will note a third name on the ballot.
That would be state Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak. She suspended her campaign, effectively dropping out of contention, on July 5, but that was after the ballots had been printed and even after some absentee ballots had gone out to voters.
Voters who had already voted for McMorrow had a chance to spoil those earlier ballots and vote for someone else but anyone who didn’t spoil their ballot or who votes for McMorrow otherwise will have those votes counted for her, even though she isn’t expected to be a big factor in the race now. She also didn’t endorse either of the other candidates.
Isn’t Mike Rogers running in the U.S Senate primary?
He is, on the Republican primary ballot received by voters who decide they want to cast ballots to decide Republican nominees for offices, rather than Democratic ones. (You can only choose one party or another to vote in the primary.)
But Rogers, who lost a close race for U.S. Senate in Michigan to Elissa Slotkin two years ago, is the only choice on the Republican ballot, as the only other candidate was disqualified after failing to turn in the required number of signatures needed to run. Rogers, then, is all but assured of the Republican nomination.
Learn more with the Detroit Free Press voter guide
In its nonpartisan voter guide, the Free Press offers candidates the chance to communicate with voters in their own words. We remove entries that include false or unverifiable statements, personal attacks on other candidates or foul language, but responses are otherwise unedited.
Click on the links below to learn more about each candidate, including their backgrounds, policy priorities and stances on issues like health care and Michigan’s auto industry.
Why is this race important?
Michigan’s had back-to-back election cycles with open U.S. Senate seats but historically, politicians elected to the chamber have tended to remain for decades and play a key role as one of two senators representing Michigan interests and constituents in the Senate.
Democrats, too, would like to get majority control of the 100-member Senate again and there are a few races across the country where they could pick up seats. But regaining control is much harder for Democrats if they lose this seat.
Why is everyone talking about El-Sayed vs. Stevens?
El-Sayed has never won elected office before but has generated a ton of interest in Michigan and nationally as a progressive firebrand and his message of getting corporate money out of politics, helping working families and pushing universal government-paid health care is resonating with voters. But Stevens, a more moderate Democrat who is pro-manufacturing, worked for former President Obama’s auto task force and flipped what had been a Republican U.S. House district in 2018, has warned that El-Sayed is too extreme, having talked about defunding police in the past (though he’s not pushing that now) and could cost Democrats the seat in November.
Recent polls have shown El-Sayed well ahead but primaries are notoriously hard to poll accurately.
Then there is the question of U.S. support for Israel, which has become a divisive issue among Democrats following Israel’s counteroffensive against Hamas in Gaza. El-Sayed strongly opposes U.S. military aid to Israel (and other countries, he says, unless there is a compelling need and limits placed on it); Stevens has rejected limiting U.S. military aid to Israel and has benefited from tens of millions of dollars in independent outside support attacking El-Sayed on her behalf in this race from pro-Israel groups.
She has also accused El-Sayed of blaming Jewish people when, at least publicly, he has not done so, though he has criticized groups supportive of the current government in Israel spending millions against him.
What endorsements have there been?
Stevens has amassed an impressive list of establishment Democrats supporting her campaign, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Peters, former Govs. Jennifer Granholm and Jim Blanchard and former U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
El-Sayed has an impressive list of backers too, including progressive stalwart Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Detroit U.S. Rep, Rashida Tlaib and, notably, the United Auto Workers.
Rogers, meanwhile, has perhaps the most important endorsement a Republican can get, that of President Trump.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on X @tsspangler.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Who’s running in Michigan’s Aug. 4 U.S. Senate primaries
Reporting by Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
