Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow Ends Senate Bid, Leaving Two-Candidate Primary

Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow announced Sunday that she is suspending her campaign for the U.S. Senate, leaving the Democratic primary a month before the June primary election with only Rep. Haley Stevens and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed remaining.

McMorrow, who had struggled to gain traction, said in a statement that she was grateful to volunteers, donors and staff for building a campaign without corporate PAC money. She did not give a detailed reason for her exit, but a source familiar with the race said the surge in outside spending for Stevens, including millions of dollars from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, made it difficult for McMorrow and El-Sayed to compete.

The withdrawal reshapes a closely watched Senate contest in a seat held by Democrat Gary Peters, which Democrats hope to retain to aid efforts to regain the Senate majority. The primary winner will face Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who lost to Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024.

Stevens, backed by much of the party establishment and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, called herself the strongest Democrat to defeat Rogers and said she looks forward to working with McMorrow to strengthen Michigan. El-Sayed, supported by progressive leaders such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, urged McMorrow’s supporters to join his movement and warned against establishment control of the nomination.

State Attorney General Dana Nessel announced her endorsement of Stevens shortly after McMorrow’s exit. A televised debate between Stevens and El-Sayed is scheduled for Tuesday.