El-Sayed narrowly wins Michigan Democratic Senate primary, sets up fall matchup

Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, a result not called until early Wednesday after nearly all ballots statewide had been counted. El-Sayed led by 14,893 votes, just under 1 percentage point, out of more than 1.5 million ballots cast, the most in recent state history.

El-Sayed, 41, a former public health official who has never held elected office, will face Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, in November in a race expected to help determine control of the Senate. He overcame more than $60 million in outside spending and a primary opponent backed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, outgoing Sen. Gary Peters and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

El-Sayed lost Michigan's 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary by more than 20 percentage points before building a following through a podcast, a book and media appearances. He launched his Senate campaign in April 2025 with a staff of four, later reporting visits to 110 cities, more than 500 campaign events and a volunteer network that grew to 12,000 people. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who had also run in the primary, ended her campaign on July 5, narrowing the race to two candidates.

El-Sayed campaigned on proposals including Medicare for All, ending military aid to Israel and campaign finance reform, with backing from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. His win now sets up a general election test between him and Rogers in one of the country's most closely watched Senate races.

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