By — Lisa Desjardins Lisa Desjardins Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/4-questions-about-the-high-stakes-michigan-democratic-primary Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter 4 questions about the high-stakes Michigan Democratic primary Politics Aug 4, 2026 3:27 PM EDT For two days last week, I lived inside the hottest political race in the country — the Michigan U.S. Senate Democratic primary between the more centrist congresswoman Haley Stevens and progressive former public health director Abdul El-Sayed. Producer Sam Weber and I flew into Detroit with some questions. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. How do these candidates stack up in real life? What actually matters to Michigan? Will this divide be a problem for Democrats in November? Does this race say anything about the future? Here's what we found. How do these candidates look on the ground? Watch the segment in the player above. Both Stevens and El-Sayed were more impressive in-person than in the news coverage, ads and clips I'd watched. Stevens is a grinder. Her stamina showed and, moreover, backed up her central message: I will work and work for this state. El-Sayed has a clear spark. He can inspire the young and progressive voters. And his energy comes with smarts. READ MORE: Fact-checking Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens' claims ahead of the Michigan Democratic Senate primary Abdul El-Sayed, running for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks to Michiganders inside a community space ahead of Tuesday's primary. Photo by Lisa Desjardins/PBS News The venues and audiences were wildly different. We saw El-Sayed at The Fledge, a former church turned into an arts and community venue. There was a giant, decorative mushroom in one corner and a big fan to keep the no-A/C space from getting uncomfortably hot. I counted roughly 100 people there, plus one cat. We first saw Stevens in a regional Chamber of Commerce conference room. Attendance: I counted 23 people. A few hours later, we saw Stevens in the suburbs with roughly 16 members of the "Blue Brigade," a Democratic women's club that skews older and feisty. Rep. Haley Stevens speaks to a room of supporters inside a Lansing Regional Chamber ahead of Tuesday's Democratic Senate primary. Photo by Lisa Desjardins/PBS News No giant mushroom, but there was a table with homemade star-shaped cookies frosted red, white and blue that looked almost too pretty to eat. What matters to Michigan voters right now? We heard three major things: money in politics, the economy and Israel. What some El-Sayed supporters told us: United Auto Workers member Jason Peck said the economy is a big issue. "I mean, people can't afford hardly anything," he said. University of Michigan mom Dorice Steiner said she's "really tired" of both parties. "I think the only way to salvage our democracy is to get big money out," she said. Andy Rogers, a first-time canvasser, said the community has "awakened to the fact that the power with the money is in control of everything right now. And we need to shift the dynamics." What some Stevens supporters told us: Tyler McCastle, a carpenter with "38-some-odd years in the trade" said healthcare is "still a difficult issue that we fight for." Cindy Groene, president of her homeowner's association outside Detroit, said the money in politics is a problem. "I don't like it. But for the reality of this election, until some kind of legislation is passed to end this dark money that the Supreme Court allows … then you've got to take money to win a race." She does have one disappointment about Haley: She wishes the House member would not accept support or money from AIPAC. Zach Nessel, son of Michigan's attorney general, said he's seen a lot of growing antisemitism after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, "and that has really infiltrated the party now." Nessel, who is Jewish, added that he and others "don't feel like we might have a place in this party if this sort of antisemitism continues." Douglas Mulkey, the owner of The People's Kitchen in Lansing, Michigan. Photo by Lisa Desjardins/PBS News We stopped for lunch at Lansing's The People's Kitchen. (We highly recommend the food.) Gauging folks off the trail, owner Doug Mulkey told us that, as someone trying to pay his workers a good wage and full benefits in spite of high inflation, he was closely watching the race. One more item to add to this shortlist: data centers. The issue is burning hot, and across party lines, in Michigan this year. It may affect the also fascinating race for the 7th Congressional District in central and southern Michigan, where an anti-data center progressive named William Lawrence could pull off an underdog primary win. Will the centrist-progressive divide be a problem for Democrats? We ran into only one Democrat who said they would not vote for the other candidate in November if their preferred candidate loses the primary. While this divide is strongly felt, it did not feel as bitter or sharp in person as it does online. Nor did it feel as entrenched to me as the Clinton/Sanders divide in 2016 (and they ultimately did try to unify.) Democrats still face one major problem, of course, and that is the Republican candidate, former congressman Mike Rogers. He has so far managed to thread a Trumpian needle, obtaining the president's endorsement without being a full-throated MAGA Republican. Does this race say anything about the future? This has become yet another tea-leaf race, with prognosticators certain to tell us tomorrow, once results are in, how much this means for the future of the Democratic Party. Being in Michigan, this felt like an important data point. Not a pivot point. Progressives and some democratic socialists are stacking up more wins and advances across the country. I think this race — no matter how it goes — adds to those trend lines, but does not define the future. Live Results: Michigan midterm primaries I heard supporters on both sides of this Senate contest praise some ideas and messages from the other. Democrats may have two directions to choose from on the ballot. But in the conversations we had, Democrats said there is more overlap from the two sides than you might expect. As The Daily reported (they were covering some of the same events), Democrats are asking "Who can win?" but also are increasingly wondering, "Who do I really want?" What we found was an appetite for change, a new kind of approach and a willingness to take political risks. That hunger seems to benefit El-Sayed. The question is: After this primary is over and the approach decided, can Democrats focus on where they agree? A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Lisa Desjardins Lisa Desjardins Lisa Desjardins is a correspondent for PBS News Hour, where she covers news from the U.S. Capitol while also traveling across the country to report on how decisions in Washington affect people where they live and work. @LisaDNews
For two days last week, I lived inside the hottest political race in the country — the Michigan U.S. Senate Democratic primary between the more centrist congresswoman Haley Stevens and progressive former public health director Abdul El-Sayed. Producer Sam Weber and I flew into Detroit with some questions. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. How do these candidates stack up in real life? What actually matters to Michigan? Will this divide be a problem for Democrats in November? Does this race say anything about the future? Here's what we found. How do these candidates look on the ground? Watch the segment in the player above. Both Stevens and El-Sayed were more impressive in-person than in the news coverage, ads and clips I'd watched. Stevens is a grinder. Her stamina showed and, moreover, backed up her central message: I will work and work for this state. El-Sayed has a clear spark. He can inspire the young and progressive voters. And his energy comes with smarts. READ MORE: Fact-checking Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens' claims ahead of the Michigan Democratic Senate primary Abdul El-Sayed, running for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks to Michiganders inside a community space ahead of Tuesday's primary. Photo by Lisa Desjardins/PBS News The venues and audiences were wildly different. We saw El-Sayed at The Fledge, a former church turned into an arts and community venue. There was a giant, decorative mushroom in one corner and a big fan to keep the no-A/C space from getting uncomfortably hot. I counted roughly 100 people there, plus one cat. We first saw Stevens in a regional Chamber of Commerce conference room. Attendance: I counted 23 people. A few hours later, we saw Stevens in the suburbs with roughly 16 members of the "Blue Brigade," a Democratic women's club that skews older and feisty. Rep. Haley Stevens speaks to a room of supporters inside a Lansing Regional Chamber ahead of Tuesday's Democratic Senate primary. Photo by Lisa Desjardins/PBS News No giant mushroom, but there was a table with homemade star-shaped cookies frosted red, white and blue that looked almost too pretty to eat. What matters to Michigan voters right now? We heard three major things: money in politics, the economy and Israel. What some El-Sayed supporters told us: United Auto Workers member Jason Peck said the economy is a big issue. "I mean, people can't afford hardly anything," he said. University of Michigan mom Dorice Steiner said she's "really tired" of both parties. "I think the only way to salvage our democracy is to get big money out," she said. Andy Rogers, a first-time canvasser, said the community has "awakened to the fact that the power with the money is in control of everything right now. And we need to shift the dynamics." What some Stevens supporters told us: Tyler McCastle, a carpenter with "38-some-odd years in the trade" said healthcare is "still a difficult issue that we fight for." Cindy Groene, president of her homeowner's association outside Detroit, said the money in politics is a problem. "I don't like it. But for the reality of this election, until some kind of legislation is passed to end this dark money that the Supreme Court allows … then you've got to take money to win a race." She does have one disappointment about Haley: She wishes the House member would not accept support or money from AIPAC. Zach Nessel, son of Michigan's attorney general, said he's seen a lot of growing antisemitism after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, "and that has really infiltrated the party now." Nessel, who is Jewish, added that he and others "don't feel like we might have a place in this party if this sort of antisemitism continues." Douglas Mulkey, the owner of The People's Kitchen in Lansing, Michigan. Photo by Lisa Desjardins/PBS News We stopped for lunch at Lansing's The People's Kitchen. (We highly recommend the food.) Gauging folks off the trail, owner Doug Mulkey told us that, as someone trying to pay his workers a good wage and full benefits in spite of high inflation, he was closely watching the race. One more item to add to this shortlist: data centers. The issue is burning hot, and across party lines, in Michigan this year. It may affect the also fascinating race for the 7th Congressional District in central and southern Michigan, where an anti-data center progressive named William Lawrence could pull off an underdog primary win. Will the centrist-progressive divide be a problem for Democrats? We ran into only one Democrat who said they would not vote for the other candidate in November if their preferred candidate loses the primary. While this divide is strongly felt, it did not feel as bitter or sharp in person as it does online. Nor did it feel as entrenched to me as the Clinton/Sanders divide in 2016 (and they ultimately did try to unify.) Democrats still face one major problem, of course, and that is the Republican candidate, former congressman Mike Rogers. He has so far managed to thread a Trumpian needle, obtaining the president's endorsement without being a full-throated MAGA Republican. Does this race say anything about the future? This has become yet another tea-leaf race, with prognosticators certain to tell us tomorrow, once results are in, how much this means for the future of the Democratic Party. Being in Michigan, this felt like an important data point. Not a pivot point. Progressives and some democratic socialists are stacking up more wins and advances across the country. I think this race — no matter how it goes — adds to those trend lines, but does not define the future. Live Results: Michigan midterm primaries I heard supporters on both sides of this Senate contest praise some ideas and messages from the other. Democrats may have two directions to choose from on the ballot. But in the conversations we had, Democrats said there is more overlap from the two sides than you might expect. As The Daily reported (they were covering some of the same events), Democrats are asking "Who can win?" but also are increasingly wondering, "Who do I really want?" What we found was an appetite for change, a new kind of approach and a willingness to take political risks. That hunger seems to benefit El-Sayed. The question is: After this primary is over and the approach decided, can Democrats focus on where they agree? A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now