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· collected 2026-08-04 · by Paul Steinhauser, Andrew Miller
Story summary
The Democrats are locked in a heated primary battle in Michigan's Senate election, with Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate backed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, facing off against Haley Stevens, a more moderate candidate supported by establishment Democrats like Gretchen Whitmer. The winner will go on to face former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in the general election.
The Michigan Senate primary has become a high-stakes battle within the Democratic Party, with some seeing it as a test of whether progressive candidates can replicate their success in other parts of the country. El-Sayed's campaign has focused on issues like climate change and racial justice, while Stevens has emphasized her experience as a moderate Democrat.
The primary election is being held on Tuesday, with voters in Michigan and four other states - Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, and Washington - heading to the polls to choose their candidates for November's elections. The outcome of the Senate primary could have significant implications for the balance of power in Congress, with Democrats needing to flip four Senate seats to regain control.
Abdul El-Sayed has been gaining support from Arab American voters, who are increasingly centering Palestine in their electoral choices. El-Sayed's campaign has also received endorsements from groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Arab American Institute. However, he is facing opposition from pro-Israel groups like AIPAC, which has spent millions of dollars to defeat him.
The Michigan Senate primary has become a national story, with many seeing it as a test of whether progressive candidates can win in traditionally moderate districts. The outcome will have significant implications for the balance of power in Congress and the Democratic Party's future direction.
Written for “Michigan Democratic Primary Results” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 13 other(s) covering the same event.
Boosted by a string of victories this spring in mostly blue congressional districts across the country, the Democrats' ideological war moves to the Great Lakes battleground state, where progressive victories could reshape the party and endanger must-hold seats in the midterm elections.
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victories → boost → elections
Also at stake as Michigan joins Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington State in holding mid-summer primaries is President Donald Trump's immense clout over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests.
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clout → join → contests
But taking top billing is Michigan's divisive and expensive Democratic Senate primary, which is seen as the biggest stage to date in the fierce fight for the future of the Democratic Party.
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which → take → Party
"This is ground zero in the battle for the future of the Democratic Party pitting status quo corporate Democrats against shake up the system economic fighters, and we’ll see who wins," Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), a leading group on the left, told Fox News Digital.
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Green → pit → Digital
The primary face-off pits Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County Health Department director, against Rep. Haley Stevens, a more moderate candidate backed by the establishment.
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off → pit → establishment
The race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is backing Stevens, is a must-hold for the Democrats and one of roughly a dozen Senate races from coast to coast that will determine if Republicans hold onto their slim Senate majority.
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Republicans → succeed → majority
Matt Bennett, one of the leaders at the Third Way, a leading center-left Democratic organization, told Fox News Digital the Michigan showdown is "the first time the left is competing for a swing seat" and warned, "the significance is it could really put this seat in jeopardy."
El-Sayed, who, if elected, would make history as the nation's first Muslim senator, is an epidemiologist who unsuccessfully ran for governor as an insurgent candidate in 2018.
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who → lead → 2018
He has made support for "Medicare-for-all" a major component of his campaign.
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support → make → campaign
The far-left candidate has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and is a vocal critic of Israel amid its war with Hamas — even characterizing Israel's actions in Gaza as "genocide" against Palestinians.
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candidate → call → Palestinians
And El-Sayed, who is backed by top far-left leaders and teamed with progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on the Michigan campaign trail two weeks ago, and who served as a top surrogate on Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, has vowed not to accept PAC donations.
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who → back → donations
Stevens, who flipped a GOP-held district in her 2018 election to Congress, is backed by top national and Michigan Democrats, including Peters, term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and longtime Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer.
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who → flip → Peters
Schumer and the party establishment view Stevens as more electable than El-Sayed, who has sparked controversy with his past comments.
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who → view → comments
"I am the best Democrat to go forward.
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I → go → ?
I am the only person in this race who has won tough primaries multiple times.
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who → win → primaries
You know, running with the Michigan grit, resilience and determination," Stevens told Fox News Digital on Sunday, as she teamed up with Peters on the campaign trail.
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she → know → trail
Over $80 million has been spent on the primary showdown, making it the most expensive Democratic Senate nomination race in history.
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it → spend → history
Much of the money has been shelled out by outside groups in support of Stevens and against El-Sayed.
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Much → shell → Sayed
The biggest spending comes from United Democracy Project, a political action committee aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
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spending → come → Committee
El-Sayed, who has repeatedly attacked Stevens over the massive infusion of AIPAC-linked money, told reporters on Sunday, "If you need $70 million to come in here and help get you elected, then the question has to be, are you actually electable on your own terms."
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you → attack → terms
The winner will face off in the midterms against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who is on a glidepath to win the GOP Senate nomination.
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who → face → nomination
The Trump-backed Rogers, who lost the 2024 Senate election in Michigan by a razor-thin margin, said in a Fox News Digital interview that he doesn't care whom he faces-off with in November.
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he → back → November
"It doesn't matter to us.
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It → matter → us
We've looked at both candidates.
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We → look → candidates
We feel confident we're going to beat either one of those candidates that come out of that race," Rogers highlighted.
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Rogers → feel → race
And Rogers claimed, "They are very radical, and they are way too extreme for Michigan.
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they → claim → Michigan
I mean, Abdul, he has his own special sauce of crazy.
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he → mean → crazy
But Democrats are confident they can regroup after a combustible primary.
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they → regroup → primary
"Let's make sure that anyone but Mike Rogers gets to the United States Senate," Stevens told reporters on Sunday.
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Stevens → make → Sunday
"After the primary, you're going to see a united Democratic Party.
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you → go → Party
You are going to see us going full force, full fledged ahead.
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us → go → ?
And El-Sayed told Fox News Digital, "I think we all understand the risk of Donald Trump.
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we → tell → Trump
We all understand the risk of Mike Rogers."
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We → understand → Rogers
The left-wing versus establishment battle is also playing out in Michigan's 7th Congressional District, a key Republican-controlled swing seat race that's among roughly two-dozen that will impact whether the GOP holds onto its fragile House majority.
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GOP → play → majority
William Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, which advocates for political action to tackle climate change, is on the rise against two more moderate Democrats.
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which → advocate → Democrats
Lawrence is backed by Sanders and El-Sayed, as well as some top progressive groups.
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Lawrence → back → Sanders
The primary winner will face GOP Rep. Tom Barrett in the general election.
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winner → face → election
Rep. Shri Thanedar, who is supported by top House Democratic leaders, is being challenged by state Rep. Donovan McKinney, who is backed by Sanders, El-Sayed, and Squad members Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.
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who → support → Pennsylvania
And the ideological warfare is also front-and-center in Missouri, in the state's St. Louis-based and heavily Democratic 1st Congressional District.
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warfare → base → District
Rep. Wesley Bell is facing off in a rematch against former Rep. Cori Bush, a Squad member who Bell ousted in the 2024 primary.
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Bell → face → primary
Trump's endorsements are getting tested in two statewide showdowns on Tuesday, in Michigan and Kansas.
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endorsements → test → Michigan
…and 9 more, not listed.
