The Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate seat in Michigan remained too close to call on Tuesday night, August 5th, 2026, with progressive former public health official Abdul El-Sayed holding a narrow lead over Congresswoman Haley Stevens.

Michigan, a key battleground state, is critical to the Democratic Party’s hopes of regaining control of the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican nominee Mike Rogers, a former Michigan congressman who ran unopposed in the Republican primary and was the party’s Senate nominee in 2024 when he lost to Elissa Slotkin.

El-Sayed, 41, has run a grassroots campaign focused on universal healthcare and campaign finance reform. Stevens, 43, positioned herself as a pragmatic problem-solver and benefited from tens of millions of dollars in outside spending, including support from groups affiliated with the pro-Israel lobbying organization, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

At the election watch party held at Detroit’s Majestic Theater, hundreds of El-Sayed supporters awaited results as his lead remained slim. Notably, streamer and Democratic influencer Hasan Piker and Philadelphia Democratic nominee Chris Rabb attended to support El-Sayed.

Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat who withdrew from the Michigan primary in July, emphasized the importance of party unity after a hard-fought campaign. She told CNN, “I voted for great Democrats up and down the ballot, and I made a commitment that whoever wins the Senate race tonight, I will be endorsing as soon as that race is called. I will be headed to their election night party to show we all come together after whatever happens tonight, so that we can be a team as we head in November.”

The winner will succeed retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters in the November general election.

Sources