Former Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) is making a big move in the state’s Senate Democratic primary, throwing her support to Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), the Detroit News reports.

Jonathan Chait: “Over the past 15 years or so, Democrats have won a lot of races because the opposing party’s primary voters decided to nominate right-wing ideologues (Christine O’Donnell, Todd Akin, Kari Lake) rather than normal Republicans. In all of these races, the Republican establishment warned that nominating an archconservative would undermine their chances of victory, and was proved completely correct.”

“Now Democrats finally have the chance to do the same thing. In Michigan, a purple state that Donald Trump won twice, the physician Abdul El-Sayed is running a competitive race for the party’s Senate nomination. If successful, he would turn a very likely Democratic win into a jump ball.”

Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers’s (R) newly announced student outreach team “includes a member who complained about women in politics and another who defended a leaked Young Republicans group chat filled with praise for Hitler, gas chamber jokes, racial slurs, and rape comments,” the Detroit Metro Times reports.

Axios: “ModSquad, a group of nearly a dozen moderate Senate Democrats, is endorsing Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic primary.”

“Why it matters: The Democratic party is fracturing over its Senate primary in Michigan — a state that’s an important hold for the party in the November midterms — with moderates coalescing behind Stevens while their left splits between two other candidates.”

“Democratic leaders both in Michigan and D.C. are growing more worried by the day that the hard-fought contest, which won’t be decided until the August primary, will exacerbate ideological tensions and leave the nominee in a weakened position heading into a contest against former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.),” Politico reports.

“For now, the race is wide open.”

Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers (R) “was a member of an advisory board at Telefonica, a cell phone service provider operating largely in Latin America which admitted in 2022 to collaborating with the Venezuelan government — then led by the now-deposed Nicolas Maduro — to spy on its citizens,” the Michigan Advance reports.

“When asked, Rogers’ campaign claimed that it was the first the former representative knew of the connection between Telefonica and the Maduro regime, despite the incident being widely reported.”

A new Detroit News poll Mike Rogers (R) and Haley Stevens (D) are tied in the race for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, 44% to 44%.

Stevens fared the best among the three Democratic U.S. Senate candidates in hypothetical matchups against Rogers, in part because she was the only Democrat matching his appeal among independent voters.

“As an assistant professor at Columbia University, Abdul El-Sayed said he held dual U.S.-Egyptian citizenship. El-Sayed is now running for a Michigan Senate seat, and his campaign says that was a mistake—he’s not an Egyptian citizen and never has been,” the Washington Free Beacon reports.

Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, has quietly erased thousands of old social media posts — including a dozen tweets that championed the “defund the police” movement, described police as “standing armies,” and urged cities to divert money from law enforcement to social services, CNN reports.

“Democrats in Michigan and Washington are growing more critical of Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens’ Senate campaign, which has been dogged by public missteps, underwhelming fundraising and a rising concern that her more liberal primary opponents are running more dynamic races,” NOTUS reports.

“They fear that rather than establish herself as a clear front-runner, the establishment favorite has slumped to a de facto dead heat in the primary, putting the party at risk of nominating a potentially weaker general election candidate in the critical swing state next year.”

“Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), a candidate for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, incorrectly claimed in a social media post Monday that she had won the endorsement of Berrien County Commissioner Chokwe Pitchford,” the Detroit News reports.

“The post was later deleted from online by the campaign. But Pitchford said he felt the need to publicly disassociate himself from Stevens’ campaign, posting a message on the website X to clarify that he’d never communicated with Stevens’ team about even the possibility of an endorsement.”

“Former Michigan GOP Rep. Mike Rogers lost his Senate race last year by just 19,000 votes, even as President Donald Trump captured the Wolverine State,” Punchbowl News reports.

“Rogers is seeking a do-over in 2026 and has some wind in his sails this time. Senate GOP leaders quickly backed Rogers following his April announcement, and he easily cleared the field while securing the crucial Trump endorsement.”

“But Trump won’t be on the ballot to help juice turnout. Yet while even that wasn’t enough to push Rogers across the finish line last November, he still sees a clear path to victory.”

Punchbowl News: “The open Senate seat in Michigan, a state President Donald Trump won in 2024, has triggered an intense battle that’s morphed into a proxy fight over the future of the Democratic Party.”

“Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), seen as the favorite of Democratic leadership, is doubling down on her pro-Israel record. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former Michigan health official Abdul El-Sayed — to varying degrees — say Democratic voters want their leaders to reconsider what’s been a reflexively pro-Israel stance by both parties in Washington for decades.”

Michigan state Rep. Joe Tate (D), who was the first Black speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, said that he is suspending his U.S. Senate campaign to move “in a different direction of service,” the Detroit News reports.

Tate struggled to compete with the fundraising numbers put up by the three other Democratic candidates, Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and public health official Abdul El-Sayed.

Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) has decided not to run for the U.S. Senate after teasing a potential bid for months, the Detroit News reports.

“As the GOP tries to retain control of the House and Senate, Republicans in the White House and on both sides of the Capitol have a simple message for Michigan Rep. Bill Huizenga: Don’t run for Senate,” NOTUS reports.

“Huizenga hasn’t announced whether he plans to actually jump into the Michigan Senate race, but Republicans are worried he could complicate the primary and potentially hand Democrats one of the GOP’s top pickup opportunities in 2026.”

“Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) has been preparing a run for Michigan’s open Senate seat and plans to make a final decision this summer,” Politico reports.

“If he does enter the primary, he would defy national Republicans, who have been aiming to clear the field for former Rep. Mike Rogers’ (R-MI) second attempt at the office.”

A new Glengariff Group poll in Michigan finds Rep. Haley Stevens (D) edging Mike Rogers (R) in a possible U.S. Senate race, 45% to 44%.

State Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D) trailed Rogers 46% to 42%, while doctor and former gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D) came in nearly 7 points behind Rogers at 47% to 40%.