Michigan Governor Whitmer backs Rep. Haley Stevens in Senate primary
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens for the Democratic U.S. Senate primary in Michigan, a race against progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed, as early voting begins.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced her endorsement of Rep. Haley Stevens for the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan on Friday, a day before early in-person voting starts. Whitmer, who previously defeated Abdul El-Sayed in the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary, appeared with Stevens and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn at a Detroit Teamsters hall before an audience of more than 100 people. She said Stevens "has what it takes to win" and added, "Michiganders need a fighter in Washington and there are few leaders with more fight in ’em than Haley Stevens."
Stevens, a four-term congresswoman from the Detroit area, has highlighted her record of winning competitive elections, including flipping a Republican-held House seat in 2018. She is supported by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and retiring Michigan Sen. Gary Peters. Her opponent, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, is backed by progressive figures such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Chris Van Hollen. A spokesperson for El-Sayed, Roxie Richner, said, "The corporate establishment has closed ranks and made their pick – now, Michigan voters will get to make theirs."
The primary, scheduled for Aug. 4, will determine the Democratic nominee who will face Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in the November general election for a key battleground Senate seat. Stevens' campaign has received substantial outside spending, including nearly $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which El-Sayed has criticized after accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.