Whitmer endorses El-Sayed after backing Stevens in Michigan Senate primary
The Hill · C · trust 48/100
Comments: by Max Rego - 08/05/26 12:17 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Max Rego - 08/05/26 12:17 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) endorsed Abdul El-Sayed on Wednesday, after he narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) to win the Democratic Senate nomination in the state.
“Congratulations to Jocelyn Benson, Abdul El-Sayed and every Democrat who won up and down the ballot. They’ve got my support as we fight like hell together to win in November,” Whitmer said in a video she posted to social media .
Benson, Michigan’s secretary of state, cruised to victory in the Democratic gubernatorial primary and will face Rep. John James (R-Mich.) in November.
The match-up between the progressive El-Sayed and the moderate Stevens, whom Whitmer backed last month, was a tight one. With roughly 99 percent of the vote counted, the former Wayne County health official leads the four-term congresswoman by fewer than 15,000 votes, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).
DDHQ called the race for El-Sayed at 8:35 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, while Stevens conceded defeat later in the morning, saying she spoke with the progressive to “offer him my full support” in the general election.
El-Sayed will face former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who ran unopposed in the GOP primary on Tuesday. In a statement, Stevens said she was “proud” to offer her support to her now-former primary foe heading into the general election.
“This was a thorough and rigorous campaign that brought out the full span of views within the Democratic Party — and that is why we have primaries,” she continued. “I am proud to have put up my hand to serve, and prouder to continue to work together to make sure this Senate seat remains blue, that we flip the United States Senate and continue the work for Michigan.”
Whitmer alluded to the hard-fought nature of the primary, saying the “passion and energy” the candidates and their supporters showed is a “good thing.”
The governor added, “It’s time to come together, get to work and win in November.”
Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D), who received more than 61,000 votes in the primary despite suspending her campaign in early July, also backed El-Sayed early Wednesday morning.
“Abdul has my full endorsement and support,” McMorrow wrote on social media . “This was a brutal primary (believe me, I know). And Trump and Mike Rogers are counting on us staying divided. Let’s prove them wrong by beating Mike Rogers and taking our country back.”
Rogers, meanwhile, targeted El-Sayed on Wednesday for his progressive views. On the campaign trail, the former health official has backed “Medicare for All,” ending U.S. military aid to Israel and publicly funding elections.
In a lengthy statement after El-Sayed clinched the nomination, Rogers called the Democratic nominee “an extremist” and attacked him for his Muslim faith.
“Abdul doesn’t represent a vision for the future,” the former lawmaker wrote. “He’s leading a movement grounded in ideological fanaticism. His agenda would make our communities less safe and our state less affordable.”
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