- Abdul El-Sayed is clinging to a tight lead against Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, with his lead at just under 24,000 votes as of the latest count.
- Tuesday's Democratic Senate primary turnout in Michigan surpassed the August 2020 record of 1.18 million votes, indicating strong voter engagement.
- Dearborn, where El-Sayed won more than three-quarters of the vote, has finished reporting for the night.
- Election officials are still awaiting results from Detroit, parts of Flint, Muskegon County, and Macomb County, with more mail ballots remaining to be counted than other types.
- The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in the November election.
- State Sen. Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the race last month, which has intensified the competition between El-Sayed and Stevens.
Abdul El-Sayed is clinging to a narrow lead of just under 24,000 votes over Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, with more than 40% of the vote counted. The race is expected to be extremely close, as officials await results from key areas including Detroit and Flint.1236
El-Sayed has captured about 60% of Election Day and early in-person votes, while Stevens leads in mail-in ballots. With a significant portion of the remaining votes coming from mail-in ballots, the outcome remains uncertain. Wayne County, home to Detroit, accounts for approximately 30% of the outstanding votes.
“We knew that this was going to be a close race, and that’s exactly what we’ve got — a close race,” Stevens remarked, indicating that results may not be finalized until the following day. El-Sayed, addressing his opponent, stated, “I know you’re listening, Mike. Mike, we are coming for you,” referring to Republican candidate Mike Rogers.
The Democratic primary has seen record turnout, surpassing 1.18 million votes from the 2020 primary, with expectations that the final count could approach 1.6 million votes. Former Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow emphasized the importance of focusing on the general election, stating, “This is a primary. This is not the final election.”
Illustrating the razor-thin margins, El-Sayed’s lead is less than the votes received by State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who garnered just over 24,000 votes before dropping out of the race last month.8
“Stevens is winning nearly the same share of mail ballots as El-Sayed wins of Election Day and early in-person votes, with more mail ballots outstanding than any other type. About 30% of the outstanding vote is from Wayne County, and Stevens said results may not be known until early morning or later tomorrow.”
