In battleground Michigan, 3 Democrats test vision of affordability in the Senate primary

Democrats Vie for Michigan Senate Seat, Focusing on Economic Anxieties

As economic concerns continue to resonate with voters across Michigan, three Democratic candidates are mounting distinct campaigns for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat, each attempting to capitalize on lingering financial anxieties that helped Donald Trump reclaim the White House in 2024.

With Democratic Sen. Gary Peters retiring, the party faces a critical test in August’s primary and the subsequent November election. Maintaining this seat is considered essential for Democrats’ hopes of regaining control of the Senate in the midterms.

The three candidates – U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, and physician Abdul El-Sayed – are tailoring their economic messages to appeal to a state where manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare remain central concerns. They will likely face former congressman Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost a previous Senate bid to Democrat Elissa Slotkin by just 19,000 votes.

Stevens, representing a suburban Detroit district at the heart of Michigan’s automobile industry, is positioning herself as a manufacturing champion with strong labor ties. During a recent visit to a union training workshop in Saginaw, she donned a welding helmet to connect with apprentice plumbers while criticizing Trump’s economic policies.

“He’s been more focused on cutting deals all over the world than cutting deals here in Michigan, and now we have job insecurity and in some cases job loss,” Stevens told apprentices and union leaders. Her campaign emphasizes how Trump’s tariff strategies have harmed the state’s manufacturing sector while driving up consumer prices.

Stevens’ moderate positioning appears to resonate with union leaders like Justin Pomerville, business manager at UA Local 85, who expressed frustration with both extremes of the political spectrum. Her hands-on approach, interacting directly with workers and discussing practical issues like healthcare benefits, underscores her campaign strategy of presenting herself as a pragmatic problem-solver.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow is leveraging her experience in Michigan’s legislature and her national profile to connect with voters. At a packed campaign event in downtown Flint, McMorrow highlighted her entry into politics following Trump’s 2016 victory and her subsequent rise to a leadership position in the state Senate.

McMorrow, who gained national attention for bringing a Project 2025 prop to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, emphasizes her role as a mother concerned about the future. “Like any parent, I am thinking a lot about what tomorrow looks like,” she told supporters. Her campaign focuses on expanding successful Michigan initiatives nationwide, particularly a program providing cash grants to new mothers.

Her approach resonated with former farmer Karen Breasbois, who pressed McMorrow on Trump’s tariffs affecting soybean operations. McMorrow promised to listen to rural communities rather than adopting what she characterized as the typical Democratic “missionary” approach to non-urban areas. Breasbois later compared McMorrow favorably to former Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a respected advocate for Michigan’s agricultural interests.

The third contender, Abdul El-Sayed, a physician and former county health official, centers his campaign on healthcare costs and corporate influence. At a recent town hall in Detroit, he led supporters in his signature chant: “Money out of politics, money in your pocket, Medicare for all.”

Although El-Sayed has modified his Medicare for All stance to include supplemental coverage through unions or employers, he maintains that corporate lobbying drives healthcare costs to unaffordable levels. “In an era where union membership is near an all-time low and inequality is near an all-time high, these two things are not a coincidence, they are one in the same problem,” he told attendees.

El-Sayed, who previously ran unsuccessfully against current Governor Gretchen Whitmer in the 2018 Democratic primary, claims to have been ahead of other candidates in focusing on affordability issues. His message has attracted dedicated supporters like Natasha VanGessel, a medical assistant who appreciates his “well thought out” approach.

The primary contest represents a critical juncture for Democrats in Michigan, a state where economic anxieties have shifted political fortunes in recent elections. As confidence in Trump’s ability to address cost-of-living concerns wavers, Democrats see an opportunity to recapture voter trust on economic issues.

The August primary will determine not only which Democrat advances to face the Republican nominee but also which economic message resonates most strongly with Michigan voters – a crucial test case for the party’s midterm strategy nationwide.