Michigan’s marquee Democratic Senate primary has had twists and turns, heated exchanges, viral moments and tens of millions of dollars in outside spending. On Tuesday, voters will have their say in the race between Representative Haley Stevens, a moderate, and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official.
The outcome could affect the battle for the Senate majority and the future of the party. Prominent Democrats from Michigan and elsewhere have been divided over the candidates, whose differences mirror broader intraparty frictions over Israel, electability and other matters. Polling conducted over the last month has suggested uncertainty in the race. Most recently, several public polls have shown Dr. El-Sayed leading.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest moments in the campaign:
Hasan Piker campaigns for El-Sayed
In April, Dr. El-Sayed rallied at two Michigan universities with Hasan Piker, a provocative left-wing streamer with a large following among young progressives. The move injected energy into Dr. El-Sayed’s campaign and drew some backlash, crystallizing some of the sharpest fault lines in the race.
Some Democrats have condemned Mr. Piker’s statements about the Israeli government and its war in Gaza. He previously said it “doesn’t matter” if rapes happened in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel, later adding in an interview with The New York Times that it “doesn’t make genocide acceptable.” Mr. Piker also once said that America “deserved” the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, later apologizing for that comment.
Ms. Stevens said after the rallies were announced that it was “unacceptable” for Dr. El-Sayed to campaign with Mr. Piker. Another candidate, Mallory McMorrow, who has since ended her campaign, also criticized Dr. El-Sayed at the time, a move that ultimately hurt her pitch to progressives and helped him consolidate support on the left.
Dr. El-Sayed defended the decision, arguing that Mr. Piker represented a critical younger demographic. “I’m not a politician and won’t stop talking to everyone else who they’ve locked out,” he said in a statement.
AIPAC jumps into the race and tensions rise
In early June, the main super PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the country’s most powerful pro-Israel group, started a multi-million-dollar ad campaign backing Ms. Stevens.
The spending has been a consistent point of tension in the contest, with Dr. El-Sayed frequently criticizing AIPAC and its support for Ms. Stevens. In a debate on Monday night, Ms. Stevens and Dr. El-Sayed clashed over the influx of outside money.
The main super PAC for AIPAC has so far spent more than $30 million boosting Ms. Stevens, according to data from the media tracking firm AdImpact.
Tensions erupted again on Thursday after Dr. El-Sayed said AIPAC had chosen to back “the least capable candidate in America,” referring to Ms. Stevens, in an interview with the online magazine Muslim Girl.
In response, Ms. Stevens accused Dr. El-Sayed of wanting to “blame all of your problems on Jewish Americans.” On Saturday, Dr. El-Sayed was critical of Ms. Stevens’s comment, and told reporters, “At the end of the day, I love and revere Judaism and the Jewish people.”
The candidates are at stark odds over the United States’ support of Israel. Dr. El-Sayed has said Israel should not exist as an explicitly Jewish state and has advocated ending U.S. financial assistance to the country. Ms. Stevens supports continuing U.S. military aid to Israel without conditions.
Earlier this year, Ms. Stevens was booed at a state Democratic convention by activists unhappy with her support for Israel.
McMorrow suspends her campaign
For months, the race was a three-way competition that also featured Ms. McMorrow, a Democratic state senator who sought to position herself as the middle ground between Ms. Stevens and Dr. El-Sayed.
But Ms. McMorrow was unable to gain traction. She suspended her bid on July 5, writing that she would support whoever wins the primary. She did not issue an endorsement.
‘Stick it to ’em’: Stevens goes viral, and her accent comes under scrutiny
A 19-second clip of Ms. Stevens at a campaign stop in Ecorse, Mich., went viral in July, highlighting how the race has at times veered into personal territory.
Clad in a bright pink suit jacket, Ms. Stevens promised to work for Michiganders with “a little bit of joy, a little bit of enthusiasm, a little bit of energy and” — she punched her fist into her palm — “a little bit of ‘stick it to ’em!’”
Ms. Stevens’s folksy Michigan lilt drew both cheers and mockery. Some critics accused her of faking or playing up her accent.
Dr. El-Sayed told his followers to “please stop” making fun of Ms. Stevens “for things that have nothing to do with her policies or politics.”
For its part, Ms. Stevens’s campaign leaned into the buzz. It created “Stick It to ’Em” yard signs and released an ad declaring she was “proud to fight for — and sound like — Michigan.”
The candidates clinch high-profile endorsements
The primary has drawn another line between prominent progressives and more moderate Democrats.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York endorsed Dr. El-Sayed in early July and subsequently campaigned for him.Later that month, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, who is popular in her state, announced that she was backing Ms. Stevens.
Others have also jumped into the fray, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Chris Van Hollen for Dr. El-Sayed as well as Senator Gary Peters of Michigan and Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina for Ms. Stevens. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senate minority leader, has asked donors to support Ms. Stevens.
Reid J. Epstein and Evan Gorelick contributed reporting.
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