The 2026 United States Senate election in Michigan will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Michigan. Democratic former Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed and Republican former congressman Mike Rogers are the nominees for their respective parties. Democratic incumbent Gary Peters is not seeking a third term.
For most of the primary, El-Sayed, congresswoman Haley Stevens, and state senator Mallory McMorrow sought the Democratic nomination. After McMorrow withdrew in July, El-Sayed and Stevens remained in a tight race, which El-Sayed won on August 4 with 48.5% of the vote. Rogers, the Republican nominee in 2024, was the only candidate to qualify for his party's primary ballot.
This is the only open Democratic-held Senate seat up for election in a state won by Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Republicans have not won a Senate race in Michigan since 1994.
Background Michigan is regarded as a swing state. Most recently in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, it backed Joe Biden by 2.8% and Donald Trump by 1.4%, respectively. Gary Peters was first elected with 54.6% of the vote in 2014 and re-elected with 49.9% in 2020. He announced in January 2025 he was not seeking reelection for a third term.
Both parties have had electoral success in Michigan in recent years, though Democrats have performed better in non-presidential races. Democrats currently hold both U.S. Senate seats, all statewide executive offices, and the state senate. Republicans control the Michigan House of Representatives and hold a majority of the state's U.S. House seats. Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race in Michigan since 1994, this Senate seat since 1972 or a non-presidential statewide election since 2014.
As one of two Democratic-held Senate seats in a state won by Donald Trump in 2024, Michigan is considered a key Senate battleground in 2026.
Democratic primary Campaign Mallory McMorrow, who was first elected to the Michigan Senate in 2018, announced her campaign for the U.S. Senate on April 2, 2025, becoming the first high-profile Democrat to enter the race to succeed Gary Peters. Her campaign launch featured footage from a 2022 speech defending her support for transgender individuals following criticism from Republican colleagues. Abdul El-Sayed, former director of Wayne County's Department of Health, Human and Veteran Services, entered the race on April 19, 2025. Haley Stevens, who has represented Michigan's 11th congressional district since 2019, announced her candidacy three days later. By March 2026, McMorrow had collected more than 30,000 volunteer-gathered signatures, qualifying for the ballot without paid petition circulators. In April 2026, Stevens and El-Sayed also qualified for the ballot after collecting the required signatures. That month, all three candidates spoke at the Michigan Democratic Party's Spring Endorsement Convention in Detroit.
Stevens, McMorrow, and El-Sayed each represented different ideological wings and campaign strategies within the Democratic Party. Stevens, who received private backing from Senate Democratic leadership, was viewed as the more moderate candidate, while El-Sayed was considered the most progressive. El-Sayed told Time that he is not a socialist and believes in capitalism. McMorrow centered her campaign on the need for new Democratic leadership and pledged not to support Chuck Schumer as Senate Democratic leader if elected. El-Sayed criticized that position, arguing it was shortsighted to oppose Schumer without identifying a successor. Stevens emphasized her role in helping rescue the Big Three automakers during the Obama administration, while McMorrow and El-Sayed promoted diversifying Michigan's economy through apprenticeships in industries such as beekeeping, winemaking, and leather-making.
McMorrow withdrew from the race in July 2026 after her polling declined. Following McMorrow's departure from the race, independent polls showed Stevens and El-Sayed statistically tied. In the days leading up to the election, polls had showed El-Sayed with a double digit lead. Stevens was later endorsed by Peters and several prominent Michigan Democrats, including former Senator Debbie Stabenow, former Governor Jennifer Granholm, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Campaign finance emerged as a point of contrast during the primary. El-Sayed and McMorrow called for an end to corporate political spending and declined corporate donations during the election cycle, while Stevens expressed support for campaign finance reform and said she was "not taking any new pledges." Financial disclosure also became an issue after Stevens urged El-Sayed to release his financial disclosure report before the August 4 primary. El-Sayed had previously received an extension to file the report until August 13 but released his 2026 financial returns publicly in July.
Policy differences between the candidates centered on immigration, foreign policy, and healthcare. Israel emerged as a major issue in the race. El-Sayed, who is considered more pro-Palestinian and the most critical of Israel of all the candidates, called for ending all unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel. In contrast, Stevens has voted to provide additional military aid to Israel, has received significant support from the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, and stated she does not believe there has been a genocide in Gaza. She supports a two-state solution and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of endangering Jewish people worldwide. On domestic policy, El-Sayed supports Medicare for All and the abolition of ICE, while Stevens has called for the expansion of Medicare access and reforming ICE. El-Sayed has faced criticism for claiming that he never supported the Defund the Police movement, despite previously promoting it on Detroit Public Radio and social media.
The Associated Press called the race for El-Sayed the morning after the election who had roughly a one percent lead over Stevens with 99% of the votes reporting. That same day, Stevens called El-Sayed to concede the race and pledged to support him in the general election against Mike Rogers.
Analysis Stevens benefited from an outside spending advantage, with approximately $62 million spent on her behalf, amounting to a 9–1 advantage to El-Sayed. AIPAC has spent nearly $30 million supporting Stevens, surpassing all of their prior investments made for a candidate in a particular race. Their primary political action committee, The United Democracy Project, released a Michigan advertisement featuring a 2018 clip of Barack Obama praising Stevens for her work as chief of staff to a federal task force created to assist the automobile industry in 2009.
El-Sayed harnessed Democratic frustration with the party establishment to narrowly defeat Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan's U.S. Senate primary. The Washington Post said that several factors helped with El-Sayed's success, including antiestablishment sentiment in the Democratic base, his campaign against large political donations, and opposition to AIPAC and Israel's actions in Gaza. El-Sayed performed well in liberal strongholds and college towns in his win over Haley Stevens.
Candidates Nominee Abdul El-Sayed, former Wayne County health director (2023–2025) and candidate for governor in 2018
Eliminated in primary Haley Stevens, U.S. representative from (2019–present)
Not on ballot Rachel Howard, research health specialist
Withdrawn Mallory McMorrow, state senator from the 8th district (2019–present) (remained on ballot) Joe Tate, former speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives (2023–2025) from the 9th district (2019–present) (endorsed Stevens)
Declined Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. secretary of transportation (2021–2025) Debbie Dingell, U.S. representative from (2015–present) (running for re-election) Garlin Gilchrist, lieutenant governor of Michigan (2019–present) (running for secretary of state) Gary Peters, incumbent U.S. senator (2015–present) (endorsed Stevens) Kristen McDonald Rivet, U.S. representative from (2025–present) (running for re-election) Hillary Scholten, U.S. representative from (2023–present) (running for re-election) (endorsed Stevens) Shri Thanedar, U.S. representative from (2023–present) (ran for re-election) (endorsed Stevens) Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan (2019–present) (endorsed Stevens)
Endorsements
Debates and forums + 2026 Michigan Democratic Senate primary debates and forums Date Host Moderator Link Democratic Democratic DemocraticKey:Participant Withdrawn El-Sayed McMorrow Stevens1 February 11, 2026 United Auto Workers Mark DePaoliBrandon MancillaLaShawn English YouTube2April 24, 2026Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and VicinityJackie NelsonJames WilliamsYouTube3May 28, 2026Mackinac Policy ConferenceNolan FinleyStephen HendersonYouTube4July 7, 2026WOOD-TVRick AlbinYouTube5July 27, 2026Fox 2 DetroitRoop RajYouTube
Fundraising Italics indicate a withdrawn candidate. Campaign finance reports as of July 15, 2026CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handAbdul El-Sayed (D)$14,514,335$11,961,573$2,552,762Rachel Howard (D)$10,937$6,170$4,766Mallory McMorrow (D)$11,386,720$9,519,089$1,867,631Haley Stevens (D)$11,884,632$9,091,338$2,793,294Joe Tate (D)$243,635$243,635$0Source: Federal Election Commission
Polling Aggregate polls Source of pollaggregationDatesadministeredDatesupdated AbdulEl-Sayed MalloryMcMorrow HaleyStevens UndecidedMargin270toWinJune 29 – July 29, 2026July 31, 202646.8%4.5%39.4%9.3%El-Sayed +7.4%Decision Desk HQthrough July 30, 2026August 3, 202652.6%39.6%7.8%El-Sayed +13.0%Race to the WHthrough July 30, 2026August 1, 202652.6%39.4%7.8%El-Sayed +13.2%RealClearPoliticsJuly 8–29, 2026July 30, 202650.5%40.3%9.2%El-Sayed +10.2%FiftyPlusOnethrough July 30, 2026August 1, 202651.8%3.8%38.9%5.5%El-Sayed +12.9%Average50.9%4.2%39.6%5.3%El-Sayed +11.3%