Abdul El-Sayed defeats Haley Stevens in Democratic Senate primary race
Abdul El-Sayed's speech after winning Democratic Senate primary
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed speaks in downtown Detroit after clinching the Democratic Senate primary by one percent over Rep. Haley Stevens.
FOX 2 - The race is finally decided in one of the most heavily watched Democratic Senate match-ups in the country.
Abdul El-Sayed held a slim lead over Haley Stevens at 48.5 percent to 47.5 percent Wednesday morning with 96 percent of the votes counted, according to the Associated Press.
He has since been projected to win by the Associated Press just before 10 a.m.
Timeline:
The political outsider led from the start of Tuesday's primary, but a four-percent lead was whittled down to about one percent against Stevens, a four-term US Representative.
El-Sayed himself, posted at about 7 a.m. on social media declaring victory. He is scheduled to speak in front of the Spirit of Detroit at 10:30 a.m. this morning.
"Money out of politics. Money in your pocket. Medicare for All. Michigan... We won," he posted on X, formerly Twitter. "I am so proud to be your Democratic nominee for US Senate. Let's win in November."
The other side:
Stevens released a statement just after 10 a.m. expressing her support of El-Sayed for the General Election in November.
"I love Michigan and am so proud to have put up my hand to serve," she said. "I spoke with Abdul a few moments ago to offer him my full support as we work to defeat Mike Rogers this November. Thank you, Michigan."
Trump addresses El-Sayed win
President Donald Trump called the Democratic primary result "great news for the Republican Party."
"El-Sayed, a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel, is the projected winner in his race with the Socialist. As usual, the Polls were way off on this one. She was not expected to do nearly as well as she did. Now, the Dumocrats crazy policies will only get worse!"
What they're saying:
Some national pundits have declared the El-Sayed-Stevens battle as a bellwether for the direction of the Democratic Party with the more progressive wing fighting for dominance – a race mirrored by others across the country as well.
El-Sayed, who has promoted "Medicare for all" among other progressive platforms, is viewed as the anti-establishment upstart with his own big-name support – with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders stumping for him.
Tuesday night El-Sayed spoke about unity for voters going forward against the GOP.
"There is so much more that unites us – however much we disagree with our Democratic opponent – there is so much more that unites us than divides us," he said. "We have a responsibility to assure that we unite to make sure (Republican) Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the US Senate."
MORE: Michigan primary election results 2026
Stevens, who scooped up endorsements from Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Gary Peters and retired Sen. Debbie Stabenow among others, is viewed by many as the establishment candidate.
Haley Stevens vs. Abdul El-Sayed election results
Her platform has been her Washington track record of standing up to President Trump and championing lower prices amid rising inflation.
Congresswoman Stevens spoke to supporters late Tuesday evening.
"We knew that this would be a close race," she said. "And that is exactly what we've got. A close race."
Of note:
Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the race but still remained on the ballot.
The other side:
On the Republican side, Rogers – who ran unsuccessfully for Stabenow's seat upon her retirement in 2024, awaits the Democrat winner.
Rogers, 63, ran uncontested Tuesday.
Rogers, who has an FBI background early in his career, served 14 years in the US House of Representatives from 2001 to 2015.
His last Senate bid ended in defeat to current Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, in a close race.
The Source: Information for this report is from previous coverage, both election night events and current tabulations by Associated Press and FOX News voting estimates.