Warren will campaign this weekend for El-Sayed in Michigan

By Elyse Apel
The Center Square

With just two weeks until Michigan’s primary, the Democratic race for U.S. Senate continues to heat up.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., announced her endorsement for Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Monday. Warren, fresh off a humbling endorsement of former Senate candidate Graham Platner in Maine, plans to visit the state this weekend on the campaign trail.

“He is THE fighter Michigan needs in the Senate,” Warren said.

El-Sayed thanked Warren for her endorsement.

“Senator Warren’s vision for our future – one where corporations can’t buy politicians and people can afford to put food on the table – speaks to Americans everywhere,” El-Sayed said of the endorsement. “Michigan needs unbought, principled leadership, and with Senator Warren’s support, we can get rid of the chokehold that corporations have on our government.”

Over the weekend, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., headed to Michigan to campaign for El-Sayed. They rallied at a campaign event in Detroit labeled “The People v. The Powerful.”

“The American people are sick and tired of status quo politics,” said Sanders. “They’re sick and tired of AIPAC and other billionaire-funded super PACs buying elections. They’re ready to elect leaders like Dr. Abdul El-Sayed.”

El-Sayed is facing off against the establishment-backed U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in the race to choose a nominee to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The most-recent polling, compiled by 270toWin, is a statistical tie because the difference is within the margin of error. El-Sayed leads Stevens 37.4%-35.8%.

Although El-Sayed has rejected the label of democratic socialist, he has aligned himself with the Democratic Party’s progressive wing.

He has been endorsed by several members of the progressive congressional group known as “the Squad,” which includes Democratic U.S. Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.

While Stevens and El-Sayed share some progressive positions, including support for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, El-Sayed has embraced a broader slate of left-wing policies, including Medicare for All and a wealth tax on billionaires.

El-Sayed has cast himself as the candidate taking on “AIPAC and the establishment.” The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying organization, has spent millions backing Stevens’ campaign.

Stevens, meanwhile, has dismissed several of his policy proposals as “aspirational.”

“I’d like to remind Abdul that aspirational goals aren’t real results,” Stevens said. “There’s only one candidate that’s delivered real legislation to lower healthcare costs for Michiganders, and that’s me.”

She’s labeled her campaign “record over rhetoric.”

“I’ve got the receipts, the track record of delivering for Michigan, and I’m going to keep fighting for our state,” Stevens said on Tuesday morning. “It’s why I was named our most effective Dem in Congress.”

Stevens also recently received an endorsement from the current seat holder, Peters, highlighting her continued support from the Democratic Party establishment.

“I’m all in for Haley Stevens,” Peters said in his endorsement announcement.

The winner of the Aug. 4 primary will face Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers in November in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races.

In 2024, the state’s U.S. Senate race was decided by less than half a percentage point, with U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin narrowly defeating Rogers. While Democrats are divided, on the Republican side, the party leadership and funding has once again rallied around Rogers.

The outcome of Michigan’s Senate race will play a role in determining which party controls the 120th Congress.

Of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate, 33 are up for regular election in 2026, along with two special elections. Democrats hold 13 of the seats on the ballot, while Republicans hold 22.