Abdul El-Sayed Confirmed Winner of Michigan’s Democratic Senate Primary in Narrow, Costly Upset
Abdul El-Sayed has officially won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, the Associated Press and NBC News confirmed Wednesday morning, defeating Rep. Haley Stevens by roughly one percentage point in a race that drew more than $65 million in outside spending and became a national proxy battle over the direction of the Democratic Party.
The Final Numbers
NBC News was first to project El-Sayed as the winner Tuesday night, with the Associated Press formally calling the race Wednesday morning, more than 12 hours after polls closed, according to Al Jazeera. With nearly all votes counted, El-Sayed held a one-point lead over Stevens — a margin narrow enough that the race remained too close to call for most of election night.
The former Michigan public health official overcame a significant financial disadvantage to win. According to Al Jazeera, more than $60 million in outside spending went into the race, with over $30 million of that coming from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s political action arm specifically aimed at defeating him.
What El-Sayed’s Win Means Heading Into November
El-Sayed now advances to face former Rep. Mike Rogers, the unopposed Republican nominee, in what CNN described as a race Democrats “almost certainly” need to win to have any realistic path to Senate control this fall. Rogers, who narrowly lost a 2024 Senate bid to Democrat Elissa Slotkin, wasted no time framing the fall race in stark terms. “The choice this November is simple: common sense or complete insanity,” Rogers said in a Wednesday statement, according to Bridge Michigan, describing El-Sayed’s agenda as rooted in “ideological fanaticism.”
President Trump, whose early endorsement helped clear the Republican field for Rogers, weighed in on El-Sayed’s win during a Tuesday night Fox News interview, warning that candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America would “ruin our country,” according to NBC News.
How the Democratic Establishment Is Responding
The reaction from Michigan’s Democratic establishment — which had largely rallied behind Stevens during the primary — shifted quickly toward unity once the race was called. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who had endorsed Stevens late in the campaign in what NBC News described as a “last-ditch effort” to stop El-Sayed’s momentum, voiced support for him against Rogers on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera. Outgoing Sen. Gary Peters, who had also backed Stevens, did the same.
Stevens herself moved quickly to endorse her former rival. “I want to congratulate Abdul El-Sayed on winning the Democratic nomination for US Senate,” she said in a statement cited by Al Jazeera, calling him “a doctor, a community health official, a Rhodes Scholar, and a dedicated Michigander,” and pledging her support heading into the general election.
State Rep. Mallory McMorrow, who had run in the same Senate primary before dropping out weeks before the election, endorsed El-Sayed as soon as NBC News projected his win Tuesday night, according to Al Jazeera.
El-Sayed’s Message on Party Unity and Jewish Safety
In interviews Wednesday morning, El-Sayed emphasized reconciliation after what CNN described as a divisive campaign. “Both Congresswoman Stevens and I had committed to bringing the party back together,” he said on MS NOW, according to NBC News, adding that his focus was now on uniting Democrats to defeat Rogers in November. On CBS Mornings, he acknowledged “a lot of healing to do after a hard fought primary like this.”
El-Sayed also directly addressed concerns raised during the campaign about his positions on Israel, which became a central flashpoint after Stevens accused him in the campaign’s final days of wanting to “blame all of your problems on Jewish Americans,” according to CNN. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, El-Sayed sought to reassure Jewish voters directly: “I want you to know that my commitment to your safety, my commitment to Jewish safety, is the same commitment that I have to the safety of my own daughters.”
AIPAC, for its part, signaled it isn’t stepping back from the race. In a statement following El-Sayed’s win, the group said its members “remain determined to ensure that voters reject” him in November, according to CNN — suggesting the well-funded opposition that shaped the primary is likely to carry into the general election as well.
Part of a Broader Progressive Showing in Michigan
El-Sayed’s win wasn’t an isolated result within the state’s primary results. CNN also projected that state Rep. Donavan McKinney, a democratic socialist, defeated an incumbent Democratic congressman in a separate primary the same night — a result CNN characterized alongside El-Sayed’s win as part of a broader “Midwest beachhead” for the party’s progressive wing this cycle, in Bridge Michigan’s words, a “shockwave” moment for Michigan Democratic politics.
FAQ
Who won the Michigan Democratic Senate primary? Abdul El-Sayed, a former Michigan public health official, defeated Rep. Haley Stevens by roughly one percentage point, according to results confirmed by the Associated Press and NBC News.
Who will El-Sayed face in the general election? Former Rep. Mike Rogers, who ran unopposed for the Republican nomination and previously lost a close 2024 Senate race to Elissa Slotkin.
How much money was spent trying to defeat El-Sayed? More than $60 million in outside spending targeted the race, with over $30 million coming specifically from AIPAC’s political action arm.
Has Haley Stevens endorsed El-Sayed? Yes. She issued a congratulatory statement shortly after the race was called and pledged her support for his general election campaign against Rogers.
Is AIPAC continuing to oppose El-Sayed in the general election? Based on the group’s post-primary statement, it appears likely. AIPAC said its members “remain determined to ensure that voters reject” El-Sayed in November.
Conclusion
El-Sayed’s narrow victory closes out one of the most closely watched and expensive Democratic primaries of the 2026 midterm cycle, delivering a genuine upset against a well-funded establishment favorite. With Michigan’s Senate seat considered essential to Democrats’ hopes of retaking the chamber, and both AIPAC and Trump signaling they intend to keep targeting El-Sayed through November, the race against Mike Rogers is set to become one of the most closely watched Senate contests in the country this fall.
Sources: CNN, NBC News, Al Jazeera, Bridge Michigan (reporting dated August 5-6, 2026).