DETROIT – Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary between Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens is drawing national attention and national money, as tens of millions of dollars in outside spending pours into a race that could influence the direction of the Democratic Party in Michigan and beyond.
Both candidates campaigned in Detroit on Tuesday.
El-Sayed rallied volunteers in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood. Stevens, meanwhile, stopped by the Summer Senior Sizzler at Eastern Market.
Stevens is viewed as the more moderate, establishment candidate, while El-Sayed is running as a progressive, part of a wing of the party that’s scored recent victories over more traditional Democrats in deep-blue districts.
Asked where he sees himself in the party’s broader debate and what a win here could mean nationally, El-Sayed framed the race as a test of a progressive strategy.
“The only future that I am looking to define is make sure the future of Michiganders are brighter, that they can afford their gas and their groceries, that they know they can afford home, get an appointment with a doctor when they get sick, and not have to worry about going bankrupt,” El-Sayed said.
Stevens argued voters are looking for steadier leadership and warned against what she described as political extremes.
“Michiganders want peace of mind, right? And when you start to see extremes on both the right or the left of the political spectrum, it just gets to be too much. We’re bread and butter here,” Stevens said.
The Democratic primary is the first test for either wing of the party’s messaging. The next test: Republican Mike Rogers in the general election.
David Dulio, director of Oakland University’s Center for Civic Engagement and a distinguished professor in the university’s Department of Political Science, said the outcome could reverberate beyond Michigan.
“The stakes are really high here in terms of the future of the Democratic Party, the control of the U.S. Senate and, with that, the direction of American politics as we go through the next two-year governing cycle,” Dulio said.
The primary is set for August 4th.