Gov. Gretchen Whitmer endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary Friday, one day before early voting starts — the latest establishment move to block progressive challenger Abdul El-Sayed from winning the nomination for a critical battleground seat.
The same party that spent years lecturing Americans about threats to democracy is once again making sure the wrong kind of Democrat doesn't win a primary. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, retiring Sen. Gary Peters, and now Whitmer have all lined up behind Stevens. The money has been lining up even longer.
Stevens' candidacy has benefited from tens of millions in outside spending, including nearly $30 million from AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, according to the Associated Press. El-Sayed, who has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, has criticized Stevens for taking AIPAC's money. That friction — between a grassroots progressive and a candidate backed by one of Washington's most powerful lobbying operations — is the real fault line in this race.
Whitmer's endorsement carries weight. She's the best-known politician in Michigan and has won the governor's office twice by substantial margins. She also has history with El-Sayed, defeating him by nearly 22 percentage points in the 2018 gubernatorial primary. The New York Post reported that a recent survey found nearly two-thirds of Michigan Democrats say Whitmer's endorsement won't move their vote, but 34.4% said they'd be more likely to back her pick.
"The corporate establishment has closed ranks and made their pick – now, Michigan voters will get to make theirs," said El-Sayed spokesperson Roxie Richner.
She's right about the closing ranks. Whitmer appeared alongside Stevens and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn — the same Clyburn who rescued Joe Biden's 2020 campaign — to make the announcement. "Haley's got what it takes to win," Whitmer said. Stevens has pitched herself as a Democrat who can win tough elections, having flipped a Republican-held House seat in 2018.
El-Sayed's backers tell you everything about the other side of this fight: Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Elizabeth Warren, and Ilhan Omar. The progressive wing wants the seat. The establishment machine is making sure they don't get it.
The Michigan GOP argues the distinction is meaningless. Greg Manz, a senior communications adviser with the state party, said Whitmer's late endorsement shows "establishment Democrats are beyond panicked" about El-Sayed winning, but argued Stevens is "every bit as extreme" — supporting EV mandates, tax hikes, and biological men in women's sports. "Their policies are indistinguishable," Manz said.
Stevens currently holds a four-point edge over El-Sayed, according to the RealClearPolitics average. The winner faces former Rep. Mike Rogers in November.
The question for Michigan voters isn't just who wins the primary. It's whether a candidate backed by $30 million in AIPAC spending and the full weight of the Democratic establishment can still be called the people's choice.
