Major Twist Shakes Up Michigan Battleground Mere Weeks Before Senate Primary

A crowded Democratic primary for one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate seats just became a one-on-one fight, and the two remaining candidates couldn’t be more different.

Mallory McMorrow, a Michigan state senator, announced Sunday she is pulling out of the race to represent her state in the U.S. Senate. The move reshapes what had been a three-candidate Democratic contest into a direct clash between opposing wings of the party.

Left standing are Representative Haley Stevens, favored by the party’s establishment wing and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, and Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health official running on a progressive platform with endorsements from Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Even though she’s suspending her campaign, McMorrow’s name won’t disappear from ballots. Absentee ballots for the August 4 primary were already printed and mailed out before she made her announcement, Bridge Michigan reported.

The stakes extend well beyond the primary itself. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will take on former Republican Representative Mike Rogers, who faces no serious opposition on his path to the GOP nomination this fall.

At issue is the seat currently held by retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. Republicans hold a slim 53-47 edge in the Senate, making this Michigan contest one both parties see as pivotal — and nonpartisan analysts have labeled it a genuine toss-up.