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.
5 states hold polls on Tuesday.
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states → hold → Tuesday
Here's what to know
Five states hold primaries Tuesday, with competitive House and Senate races that could ultimately decide control of Congress next year.
Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia and Washington are all holding contests.
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holding → know → contests
A number of Democratic primaries are pitting congressional incumbents against progressive challengers.
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number → pit → challengers
Redistricting efforts will also influence the races.
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efforts → influence → races
Missouri Republicans redrew their map to squeeze Democrats, while Virginia moved its primary from June to August for a Democratic redistricting push that courts ultimately threw out.
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courts → redrew → that
Democrats choose between moderates and progressives
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Democrats → choose → moderates
The open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, a swing state, has two Democratic candidates lodged in a tight race to win their party's nomination.
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candidates → have → nomination
Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate supported by other far left-leaning Democrats will be up against Rep. Haley Stevens, a more moderate candidate, supported by Democratic Party leaders.
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Sayed → support → leaders
El-Sayed is a former Detroit public health official who ran an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2018.
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who → run → 2018
Stevens is running for a fifth term and has been boosted by millions in outside spending.
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Stevens → run → spending
She has outspent El-Sayed on the airwaves by at least eight times, according to AdImpact — including groups aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group, whose involvement El-Sayed has criticized.
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Sayed → outspent → involvement
El-Sayed is leading the polls for the primary contest.
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Sayed → lead → contest
Yet Haley supporters argue that she has a better chance of winning in a purple state in November's general election.
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she → argue → election
Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will face Mike Rogers, a former congressman who is unopposed for the Republican nomination and narrowly lost the state's other U.S. Senate seat to Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024.
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who → win → 2024
If the Democrats want to win back the Senate, they have to hold on to the seat in Michigan.
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they → want → Michigan
The race has also garnered national attention because it's become a referendum on the Democratic Party's identity and the kind of candidate it should be nominating: a centrist or someone more left leaning.
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it → garner → candidate
Tuesday's contests will decide several competitive U.S. House primaries
Another test of the Democratic Party's direction will be in Michigan's 13th House District, which covers most of Detroit.
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which → decide → Detroit
Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar, the multimillionaire businessman, is running against state Rep. Donavan McKinney, a progressive Detroit native.
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Thanedar → run → McKinney
McKinney has the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Rashida Tlaib and has made Thanedar's wealth and corporate ties the center of his more left-leaning campaign.
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wealth → have → campaign
Republicans are fielding a handful of low-profile candidates, but according to Cook Political Report, whoever wins the Democratic primary is heavily favored in November.
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wins → field → November
In Washington's conservative 4th Congressional District, rated as solidly Republican by Cook Political Report, the top three Republican candidates are representative of three different arms of the party.
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candidates → rat → party
Amanda McKinney, the Yakima County commissioner, has an endorsement from President Trump.
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McKinney → have → Trump
Businessman and former candidate Jerrod Sessler has campaigned as the anti-establishment outsider.
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Sessler → campaign → outsider
Tuesday's decision by GOP voters will reflect the direction they have chosen for a rural, heavily Latino district that subsists on agriculture and energy production.
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that → reflect → agriculture
In Missouri, the solid blue 1st Congressional District that includes St. Louis is hosting another one of this cycle's marquee Democratic primaries on Tuesday: between current Congressman Wesley Bell and former Congresswoman Cori Bush.
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that → include → Bell
Bell defeated Bush two years ago, and now they are both back for a fiery rematch.
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they → defeat → rematch
Whoever wins this race — where apart from local issues, military aid to Israel has also been a big point of contention — will likely go on to serve in Congress.
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aid → win → Congress
While Bush has said she would vote to cut off military aid for Israel, Bell has voted against those moves.
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Bell → say → moves
Bell is backed by Democrats like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while Bush is supported by the Democratic Socialists of America.
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Bush → back → America
Seven other congressional districts in Missouri will hold primary races to pick candidates Aug. 4, under a new map the Republican-led Legislature passed that reshaped Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II's Kansas City-area seat.
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that → hold → seat
Primary wins that could shape November
Back in Michigan, a governor's seat is in play because term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is leaving it open in a state President Trump carried in 2024.
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Trump → shape → 2024
Tuesday's margins and turnout will offer the first signals about Democratic and Republican enthusiasm heading into November.
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margins → offer → November
The Democratic front-runner is Jocelyn Benson, Michigan's secretary of state since 2019, according to the Cook Political Report.
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runner → accord → Report
Benson's priorities are the economy and the public education system, she told Michigan Public Radio, while her competitor, Chris Swanson, the current Genesee County sheriff, said he would focus on an audit of the state women's prison, on curbing energy price hikes and on giving Epstein victims a voice.
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he → tell → voice
In the Republican primary, Congressman John James, the 2018 and 2020 Senate nominee, has Trump's endorsement, though Perry Johnson, a businessman and author, is proving to be tough competition.
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Johnson → have → endorsement
Johnson's priorities include eliminating the state income tax, making property taxes less onerous and improving the quality of the state's education programs, he told Michigan Public Radio.
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he → include → Radio
The House majority is likely to come down to a handful of tossups, including Michigan's 7th Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Tom Barrett will run against the Democratic nominee who wins Tuesday's primary.
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who → come → primary
Other races to know
Virginia's Election Day was pushed from June to August this cycle after a congressional redistricting referendum and an effort to change the maps by the Democrats; the attempt was overturned by the Virginia Supreme Court on technical grounds, but the later date stayed in place.
Michelle Moffit, a director at Virginia Civic Engagement Table, a non-partisan, non-profit that works to protect voting rights, said she expects more participation from voters because of the Louisiana v. Callais decision and how it could have impacted Virginia.
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it → know → Virginia
"I think more people are aware of what's at stake and how precious the right to vote is," she said.
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she → think → stake
Voters will pick nominees for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House on Tuesday, including in a few competitive swing districts in Virginia that could help decide control of the narrowly divided chamber in November.
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that → pick → November
…and 3 more, not listed.
