Michigan Progressive Mallory McMorrow Forced Out by Corporate Money, Leaving Establishment vs. Grassroots Primary
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Mallory McMorrow has suspended her U.S. Senate campaign in Michigan, exposing how corporate PAC money and establishment influence have distorted the Democratic primary, now a contest between Rep. Haley Stevens and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed.
Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow announced Sunday that she is suspending her campaign for the U.S. Senate, a move that starkly reveals the corrosive impact of corporate money on American democracy. With just a month left before the June primary, only Rep. Haley Stevens—propped up by establishment powerbrokers—and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a champion of progressive values, remain in the race.
McMorrow, who ran a principled campaign refusing all corporate PAC money, expressed gratitude to her volunteers, donors, and staff for building a movement rooted in people power. She did not specify the reason for her exit, but sources close to the campaign pointed to a flood of outside spending for Stevens, including millions funneled in by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), making it nearly impossible for grassroots candidates like McMorrow and El-Sayed to compete on a level playing field.
This withdrawal dramatically reshapes a Senate contest for a seat currently held by Democrat Gary Peters, a seat progressives hope to defend against right-wing attacks and to push the Democratic Party toward true representation of working people. The winner of this primary will face Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who was defeated by Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024.
Stevens, the clear favorite of the party establishment and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, boasted about her perceived strength to defeat Rogers, while paying lip service to unity by mentioning McMorrow. In contrast, El-Sayed, backed by genuine progressive leaders such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, called on McMorrow’s supporters to join his movement and warned of the dangers of establishment control over the nomination process.
State Attorney General Dana Nessel quickly fell in line with the establishment, endorsing Stevens shortly after McMorrow’s exit. The next chapter in this struggle between corporate-backed power and grassroots activism will unfold at a televised debate between Stevens and El-Sayed on Tuesday.