This Senate Race Will Decide Democrats’ Future

Zohran Mamdani’s ascent in New York City’s mayoral race is being heralded as the reconfiguration of the Democratic Party, but the Democrat Senate primary in Michigan could be an even bigger step toward the national party embracing democratic socialism and a more critical stance toward Israel, thanks to one would-be senator in particular.

In the Michigan Senate race, there are currently three candidates vying to replace retiring Democrat Sen. Gary Peters, one of whom will most likely face off against Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is touting the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

Here’s who to watch in that critical 2026 Senate race, which could help decide the direction of the Democratic Party.

Haley Stevens

Stevens, 42, has represented Michigan’s wealthy 11th Congressional District since 2019.

CNN has cited anonymous sources claiming that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the chairwoman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Kirsten Gillibrand, both D-N.Y., have “privately signaled” they think Stevens has the best chance of winning.

One way Stevens is setting herself apart from some within the progressive and Muslim wings of the Michigan Democratic Party is through her support of Israel.

 She has been praised by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee for her support of the Jewish state, which she has called a “strong ally of the United States of America, a democracy, and a beacon of hope.”

The self-described “Zionist” has also railed against the lax response to antisemitism on college campuses nationwide.

Mallory McMorrow

McMorrow, a 38-year-old, redheaded Democrat who hails originally from New Jersey, first gained national prominence at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, where she slammed a supersized copy of The Heritage Foundation’s “Mandate for Leadership” onto a lectern as she criticized the Trump campaign.

McMorrow serves as the state Senate majority whip in Lansing and represents roughly the same wealthy Detroit suburban area as Stevens.

Rogers has been homing in on McMorrow’s image as a coastal elite, referring to her as “New Jersey transplant Mallory McMarxist” and “a glorified influencer.”

McMorrow has set herself apart from Stevens with a more critical stance on Israel, saying of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “We cannot let this man tell us that what we are seeing with our own eyes is not what is actually happening.”

Abdul El-Sayed

El-Sayed formerly served as the director of the Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Services for Wayne County, Michigan, and ran for governor in 2018 with the backing of democratic socialists, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, at the time a New York Democrat running for Congress.

What’s El-Sayed’s sales pitch to Michigan Democrat primary voters? That he’s the antiestablishment candidate who can steer the party in a new direction.

“If D.C. comes in and spends a lot of money to dictate what happens in this primary, I think Democrats are going to lose,” El-Sayed has said. “I’m not surprised that they would go with somebody like Haley Stevens. I think that’s discounting just how complicated our state is.”

El-Sayed, a former University of Michigan lacrosse player, entered the Senate race with Sanders’ backing. Hailing from a heavily Arab section of Michigan, he has not shied away from criticizing Israel.

“Our tax dollars are being sent in a blank-check format to a foreign military to impose a genocide and mass starvation on the people of Gaza,” he said in a recent video.

Michigan’s sizable Muslim and Middle Eastern communities played a major role in President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential victory. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., notably refused to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, a fellow Democrat, reflecting major discontent over the Democratic Party’s treatment of the Israel issue.

El-Sayed has made clear he’s willing to rock the boat within the party, as well.

“Joe Biden’s handling of Gaza was indicative of a general failure to be able to do the job,” he said in an interview.

On economics, El-Sayed criticized monopolies, which he accuses of contributing to price increases. “We need representation that’s willing to stand up to monopoly power in our economy so that we can get paid more and pay less,” he said in a video posted on the social media platform X. 

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