Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, notching a Midwest victory for the left

BREAKING NEWSUpdated 4 minutes ago2026 Election2026 ElectionAbdul El-Sayed wins Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, notching a Midwest victory for the leftThe former public health official has defeated Rep. Haley Stevens, NBC News projects, despite facing a huge advertising disadvantage.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a televised debate in Southfield, Mich., on Monday. Robin Buckson / Pool - Detroit News ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleAug. 5, 2026, 1:58 AM EDT / Updated Aug. 5, 2026, 2:02 AM EDTBy Henry J. GomezAbdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s slugfest of a Democratic Senate primary, NBC News projects, clinching the nomination in a close race over Rep. Haley Stevens and establishing a Midwest beachhead for a progressive left on the march this midterm cycle.El-Sayed overcame a nearly $65 million onslaught of outside money and an establishment that had rallied around Stevens. Popular Gov. Gretchen Whitmer endorsed Stevens late last month — a move seen as a last-ditch effort to stop a rising El-Sayed.El-Sayed, a former public health official, goes on to face former Rep. Mike Rogers, who claimed the Republican nomination without opposition Tuesday. Their race in November is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country, and it could determine which party controls the Senate. Whoever wins will succeed Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat who decided against seeking a third term and endorsed Stevens in the primary.Republicans have 53 seats in the chamber, and Democrats are going after some red states to flip the four seats they’d need to swing the majority. But Democrats also have to defend seats in several battleground states, including Georgia and Michigan. President Donald Trump, whose early endorsement of Rogers helped clear the GOP primary for him, won Michigan in 2016 and 2024 and lost to Joe Biden in 2020. Rogers and national Republicans had signaled that they consider El-Sayed an easier opponent than Steven...