Mallory McMorrow, a Democratic state senator from Michigan, halted her campaign for the U.S. Senate. She struggled to compete with her main rivals, Representative Haley Stevens and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, in both polls and fund-raising efforts.
In a social media post, McMorrow announced, “I’m announcing that I am suspending my campaign for United States Senate.” She expressed gratitude to her volunteers and donors. Her exit narrows the Democratic primary to a contest between Stevens, who has support from Senator Chuck Schumer and pro-Israel groups, and El-Sayed, endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
McMorrow did not endorse a candidate upon suspending her campaign, but she committed to supporting the primary winner. Her campaign pitched to voters highlighted an option beyond just Stevens, a well-connected congresswoman, and El-Sayed, a progressive with some Democrats concerned about his general election viability. El-Sayed had lost the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary to Gretchen Whitmer, who won two general elections after that.
“We are being presented right now with what I believe is a false binary choice,” McMorrow told CNN, citing “the status quo in Haley Stevens” against “a candidate who has never won a campaign before.”
Republicans are likely to nominate former Representative Mike Rogers, who narrowly missed winning the Senate race in 2024. The vacated seat belongs to Senator Gary Peters, who is not pursuing another term. The primary will take place on August 4.
Securing Michigan’s Senate seat is vital for Democrats aiming to control the Senate in November’s midterms. They must hold current battlegrounds and win at least four Republican-held seats.
McMorrow had been active on cable news and social media, but her support waned after criticizing El-Sayed for campaigning with Hasan Piker, a streamer who supports Hamas and describes Israel as “an apartheid state.” Her comments inadvertently strengthened El-Sayed as a standout progressive candidate, and they failed to attract moderate supporters amid extensive pro-Stevens advertising from AIPAC and others.