Gretchen Whitmer endorses moderate Haley Stevens in tight upcoming Senate primary
Stevens is facing progressive Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in the primary
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens ahead of the state’s U.S. Senate Democratic primary.
Stevens, a more centrist candidate, and progressive Dr. Abdul El-Sayed are considered the front-runners in the race as early voting starts on Saturday.
Whitmer’s endorsement could give Stevens a boost in a state where the governor twice won by considerable margins.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., speaks with media after a debate at WoodTV studios on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/Kristen Norman)
The governor also beat El-Sayed in the Democratic primary for governor in 2018.
Whitmer told supporters at a Teamsters hall in Detroit on Friday that Stevens has "what it takes to win" while appearing with her and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Michiganders need a fighter in Washington and there are few leaders with more fight in ’em than Haley Stevens," Whitmer said at the event.
Stevens, who flipped a Republican House seat in 2018, is also backed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, a two-term Democrat who is retiring from the seat.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers the State of the State address at the Michigan state Capitol in Lansing, Mich., on Feb. 25, 2026. (Devin Anderson-Torrez/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP)
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are backing El-Sayed.
"The corporate establishment has closed ranks and made their pick – now, Michigan voters will get to make theirs," Roxie Richner, a spokesperson for El-Sayed, told the Associated Press.
JEWISH MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS ADMIT THEY WILL VOTE REPUBLICAN IF ABDUL EL-SAYED BECOMES NOMINEE
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}From left foreground, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate primary candidate Abdul El-Sayed and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., join hands following a campaign rally Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
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Michigan’s Democratic primary is on Aug. 4 and the winner will face Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in November.
Democrats want to flip the U.S. Senate from narrow Republican control and must hold Michigan to do so.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.