The Michigan Senate race has been upended by the shock exit of a rising Democratic star weeks before the primary.
Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow announced Sunday that she is suspending her U.S. Senate campaign, leaving the state’s Democrats with a choice between a moderate and a progressive to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
Democrats will likely need to hold the seat in the Trump-won swing state in order to retake the Senate in the midterms.
“Today, I’m announcing that I am suspending my campaign for United States Senate,” McMorrow said in a video on X, without explaining what spurred her exit.
McMorrow, 39, emerged as one of the Democratic Party’s rising stars after a blistering 2022 speech on the Michigan Senate floor defending LGBTQ+ children vaulted her into the national spotlight. She raised her profile by pushing for new Democratic leadership and stood out as the only one of the three Michigan candidates to oppose Chuck Schumer as party leader.
Although she polled competitively for much of the race, Democrats increasingly viewed her as a long shot for the nomination as her two rivals, progressive Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and moderate Rep. Haley Stevens, pulled ahead in polls.
McMorrow did not endorse Stevens, 43, or El-Sayed, 41, but said: “Whoever wins this primary on Aug. 4 will have my full support.”
The primary has increasingly been defined by divisions over Israel, with El-Sayed running as a champion of Palestinian rights and Stevens describing herself as a “proud pro-Israel Democrat” backed by AIPAC.
The winner of the Democratic primary on Aug. 4 is expected to take on Republican Mike Rogers, who lost against Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin in the 2024 election.
El Sayed, who has been endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, reacted to McMorrow’s exit in a video on X, appealing to her supporters to join “our movement.”
“The same party insiders she had the courage to challenge have been bullying anyone who opposes their chosen candidate,” he wrote in a post alongside the video. “I welcome her supporters to our movement to stand up against money in politics, to put money back in pockets, and pass Medicare for All. We cannot allow the establishment to decide our nominee for us.”
Meanwhile, Stevens posted a statement on X saying, “I’m excited to continue to make my case to Michiganders why I’m the strongest Democrat to defeat Mike Rogers this November, lower costs, protect manufacturing jobs, and stand up to Trump’s abuses of power.”
