Mallory McMorrow drops out of Michigan Senate primary, leaving two-way race between Stevens and El-Sayed
State Senator Mallory McMorrow suspended her campaign on Sunday, leaving the Democratic primary a two-person contest between Representative Haley Stevens and progressive Abdul El-Sayed ahead of the August 4 vote.
The withdrawal
Mallory McMorrow, a Democratic state senator, suspended her U.S. Senate campaign on Sunday in a video posted to social media. She thanked her volunteers and donors, noting the campaign took no corporate PAC money. McMorrow did not endorse either remaining candidate but said she would give her "full support" to the primary winner.
Today, I'm announcing that I'm suspending my campaign for United States Senate.
I look forward to working with her in the future to build a stronger Michigan for everyone.
A two-way contest
Her exit leaves the August 4 primary a race between Representative Haley Stevens and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, is backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and pro-Israel groups. El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official, has endorsements from Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The seat is open because Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat, is not seeking a third term. Republicans are expected to nominate former Representative Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost the state's 2024 Senate race.
Factional proxy war
The primary has become a national proxy for the Democratic Party's internal struggle between its establishment and left wings. Outside groups have spent roughly $32 million to boost Stevens, according to a senior campaign official cited by POLITICO, with $10 million in paid media before McMorrow aired her first ad. El-Sayed has made that spending a central target, arguing the establishment is trying to buy the nomination.
We cannot allow the establishment to decide our nominee for us.
McMorrow had positioned herself as a middle path, calling the choice between Stevens and El-Sayed a "false binary." In a CNN interview last month, she described Stevens as "the status quo" and El-Sayed as "a candidate who has never won a campaign before."
Polling collapse
McMorrow entered the race as a rising star with endorsements from Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Murphy, and Martin Heinrich. Polls through winter and spring showed a competitive three-way split. But multiple summer surveys showed her support evaporating, and by late June she was polling in last place. The sudden withdrawal surprised observers who had seen her as a formidable contender.
What's next
Michigan is a Trump-won swing state, and holding the seat is critical to Democratic hopes of retaking the Senate. The party must defend its current battlegrounds and flip at least four Republican-held seats. The winner of the August 4 primary will face Rogers in a general election that could determine control of the chamber.
