Michigan U.S. Senate Race 2026 Voter Guide

Last Update: November 2, 2026. The primary is over — Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers are Michigan's nominees for U.S. Senate. Here's where the race stands heading into November.

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Table of Contents

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The Race Now

• About This Guide
• About the U.S. Senate Race
• The Shifting Field of Candidates
• Democratic Primary Results
• Republican Primary Results
• Who's Ahead in the General Election?
• Debates
• Top Issues Shaping the Race
• In the News

Meet the Nominees

• Meet the Candidates
  • Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic Nominee
  • Mike Rogers, Republican Nominee
• Also on the November Ballot—Christensen, Kristy, Long, and Marsh
• How the Money is Flowing: Campaign Finance Overview
• What Happens After Election Day?

Understand the Office

• Who Are the Current U.S. Senators for Michigan Now?
• What Do U.S. Senators Do?
• What Can't U.S. Senators Do?
• What Has the U.S. Senate Been Doing?
• How Does the U.S. Senate Work?
• What to Look for in a U.S. Senator

Money, Voting, and More

• Lost or Dropped Out Candidates
• How to Vote in Michigan
• Help Build a More Informed Michigan

About this Guide

This guide is designed to help you understand both the office and the election—not tell you how to vote.

We begin by explaining what the office does, how much authority it has, and why it matters. From there, we cover the current race, the major issues, what to look for in a candidate, and profiles of everyone seeking the office. The goal is to provide the context you need to evaluate candidates based on the responsibilities of the job—not just campaign headlines.

Michigan Women updates these guides throughout the election cycle as new information becomes available. We review official government records, campaign websites, debate transcripts, campaign finance filings, public statements, and reporting from a wide range of reputable news organizations. New information is verified before it is added, and significant changes are incorporated as the race develops.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Michigan Women does not endorse or oppose candidates or political parties. Our role is to make Michigan government and elections easier to understand so every voter can make informed decisions with confidence.

To learn more about our research process, editorial standards, and commitment to nonpartisan civic education, visit our Strategy & Impact Guide:

https://michwomen.com/blog/michigan-women-strategy-impact-guide#voice-editorial-standards

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About the U.S. Senate Race

Michigan is about to choose its next U.S. Senator. Gary Peters has represented Michigan in the U.S. Senate since 2015. He's not running in 2026, and the race to replace him is shaping up to be one of the most competitive Senate contests in the country.

What started as a crowded field of 10 declared candidates across parties — including a competitive three-way Democratic primary between Haley Stevens, Mallory McMorrow, and Abdul El-Sayed — narrowed to two major-party nominees for November. El-Sayed narrowly defeated Stevens in a tight Democratic primary (48.5% to 47.5%, with McMorrow having suspended her campaign in July), while Mike Rogers secured the Republican nomination unopposed. El-Sayed and Rogers will face off in the November 3rd general election, along with four minor-party candidates.

Key Dates

• General Election: November 3, 2026
• Debate (held): Thursday, October 8, 2026 — WOOD TV8, Grand Rapids
• Debate (held): Wednesday, October 21, 2026 — WXYZ-TV, Detroit

The Shifting Field of Candidates

The 2026 U.S. Senate race started with 10 candidates across four categories — three Democrats (Haley Stevens, Abdul El-Sayed, and Mallory McMorrow), three Republicans (Mike Rogers, Genevieve Peters Scott, and Frederick Heurtebise), one independent (Valerie Lee Willis), one No Party Affiliation candidate (T.J. Stephens), plus two additional Democrats, Joseph Tate and Rachel Howard, who withdrew early and were never factors in the race.

McMorrow suspended her campaign on July 5, citing an inability to break through in a field that had consolidated around her two rivals; because Michigan's primary ballots were already printed, her name still appeared on the August 4 ballot, but votes cast for her didn't count toward the nomination. That left Stevens and El-Sayed as the two active Democratic candidates, and Mike Rogers unopposed on the Republican side.

Michigan voters selected their nominees in the August 4 primary: Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Stevens (48.5% to 47.5%, per unofficial results with 99% of precincts reporting) to win the Democratic nomination. Rogers secured the Republican nomination unopposed. El-Sayed and Rogers will face off in the November 3 general election.

Four minor-party candidates also qualified for the November ballot: Lydia Christensen (Libertarian), Walter P. Kristy (Natural Law), Tim Long (U.S. Taxpayers), and Douglas P. Marsh (Green). Valerie Lee Willis and T.J. Stephens, profiled later in this guide, do not appear on the November ballot.

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Democratic Primary Results

Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic nomination over Rep. Haley Stevens, in one of the closest primaries in the country this cycle. The Associated Press called the race for El-Sayed at 9:54 a.m. Wednesday — nearly 14 hours after polls closed — with El-Sayed leading Stevens by roughly one point, 48.5% to 47.5%, once 99% of votes were counted. Mallory McMorrow, who had suspended her campaign in July, still received 4% of the vote.

The Data

Source: MLive, Michigan Primary Election Results (Aug. 4, 2026)

El-Sayed's Victory Speech

Watch El-Sayed's victory speech | Download the Transcript

Top priorities he names

• Getting money out of politics / campaign finance reform ("get money out of politics, put money back in pockets")
• Medicare for All — explicitly named as the capstone policy goal, tied to Bernie Sanders' influence
• Affordability (groceries, housing, healthcare costs)
• Collective bargaining rights / union support (heavy UAW, AFT, National Nurses United shoutouts)
• Frames the race as a fight against corporate and special-interest control of democracy generally, more than a specific policy checklist

Closing/mobilization ask

Less conventional GOTV-listing — instead frames November as a continuation of "the movement," explicitly inviting both 2024 Harris voters and 2024 Trump voters into the coalition regardless of past votes. The debate challenge to Rogers effectively serves as his closing "ask" alongside the movement-building framing.

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Republican Primary Results

Mike Rogers secured the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate unopposed, having faced no primary challenge.

Mike Rogers' Post-Primary Remarks

Watch Mike Rogers's remarks | Download the Transcript

Top priorities he names

• Manufacturing jobs — blames "two Democrat senators" over "a quarter century" for the loss of 200,000 Michigan manufacturing jobs
• Education reform — cites Michigan's low fourth-grade reading rates ("almost two-thirds... cannot read at the fourth grade level"), calls for phones out of schools, shop classes restored, framed as "the civil rights issue of our lifetime"
• Cost of living — highest utility rates in the Midwest, highest auto insurance rates in the nation
• Housing — tax-free savings for down payments, deregulation to spur homeownership
• Frames the race as a generic "change election" for Michigan rather than a referendum on Trump specifically

Closing/mobilization ask

Conventional GOTV framing — cites door-knocking totals (1.1 million), frames November as a "state to save," and closes with a direct call to action ("let's get out there, Michigan, and get to work").

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Who's Ahead in the General Election?

Polling has moved toward El-Sayed since the primary. Suffolk University (Sept. 16–20, 500 likely voters, margin of error ±4.4 points) found El-Sayed at 47% and Rogers at 40%, with 8% undecided. Emerson College Polling/The Hill (September, 1,000 voters) found El-Sayed at 48% and Rogers at 46%. A Washington Post–Schar School poll (released Sept. 17) found El-Sayed ahead by three points, at 48%. A Sept. 21–23 co/efficient poll (843 likely voters, margin of error ±3.36 points), conducted by a Republican polling firm, showed the two tied at 45%.

More recent polling: Mitchell Research & Communications, polling for CBS Detroit and other Michigan television stations, found El-Sayed at 51% and Rogers at 44% among 636 likely voters surveyed Oct. 26–27 (margin of error ±3.9 points), with 3% undecided. The same pollster's Oct. 1 survey found El-Sayed at 45.6% and Rogers at 41.4% (margin of error ±3.8 points), with 6% undecided. Polls differ by pollster and method; the September surveys above ranged from a tie to a seven-point El-Sayed lead.

Before the primary, head-to-head polling was tighter: RealClearPolling's average of five polls conducted between May 20 and July 31 showed Rogers ahead by less than half a percentage point, 44.3% to 44.0%. An EPIC-MRA poll released Aug. 31 found El-Sayed ahead, 47% to 43%.

Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up, and Decision Desk HQ rates it lean Democratic. Michigan narrowly favored Trump in the 2024 presidential race (by roughly 1.4 percentage points), making this one of the most closely watched Senate contests in the country as both parties look to flip or defend the seat in November.

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Debates

Rogers and El-Sayed held their first televised debate on Thursday, Oct. 8, at WOOD TV8 in Grand Rapids. The debate was moderated by Rick Albin and also aired nationally on NewsNation. Questions covered fuel prices and tariffs, health care, immigration enforcement, the Iran war, U.S. support for Israel, data centers and artificial intelligence, Social Security, housing, and the federal debt.

Watch the Oct. 8 debate

Rogers and El-Sayed held their second and final general-election debate on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at WXYZ-TV in Detroit. It was moderated by Carolyn Clifford, Chuck Stokes and Alicia Smith. Questions covered the economy, trade and tariffs, the Iran war, immigration, health care, Social Security, public safety, artificial intelligence, the auto industry, education, voting laws and bipartisan cooperation. Rogers said he would attend a Trump rally and would push back on the president on issues he considers important. El-Sayed said he would join former President Barack Obama at a Detroit rally. The candidates also answered a series of yes-or-no questions.

Watch the Oct. 21 debate

Bridge Michigan fact-checked claims made at the Oct. 21 debate.

On claims El-Sayed made about Rogers:

• Bridge found substantial support for the statement that Rogers generally backed free-trade policies, including NAFTA, while in Congress (Rogers said NAFTA passed before he entered Congress).
• It found that DTE Energy's federal PAC gave Rogers about $64,000 from 2001 to 2014 and that he received hundreds of thousands of dollars from drug companies in those years, claims that are partly true but old and not tied to his current campaign.
• It found that Rogers voted against a 2010 law funding 9/11 first responder benefits, citing fiscal concerns, while saying he supported $150 million for 2011.
• It found some basis for a claim about Rogers and Social Security: he supported letting individuals invest part of their Social Security tax privately in 2000, and in 2023 floated raising the retirement age without a specific plan.

On claims Rogers made about El-Sayed:

• Bridge found that El-Sayed did meet Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in September and that Senate Majority PAC has reportedly committed about $35 million to the race. That PAC cannot take direct corporate contributions but accepts money from nonprofits that can.
• Bridge found support for parts of a claim about immigration (El-Sayed said in 2018 that undocumented immigrants should have driver's licenses, and in July that anyone who pays taxes should have access to Medicare for All) but none for the description "open borders."
• It found no evidence for the claim that El-Sayed has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which he denies.

Source: Bridge Michigan's fact check of the debate.

A separate event hosted by FOX 2 Detroit on Sept. 15 took place with El-Sayed only. FOX 2 said it invited both candidates on Aug. 5 and that El-Sayed accepted the next day. Rogers' campaign said it never agreed to attend, described the event as a town hall rather than a debate, and cited concerns about the moderator's fairness. FOX 2 left an empty podium for Rogers. After the primary, El-Sayed had called for five debates.

For how the candidates' debate answers compare with their post-primary remarks, see the Top Issues table below.

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Top Issues Shaping the Race

The table below combines what each candidate emphasized in their post-primary remarks (Speech) with how they answered questions at the Oct. 8 and Oct. 21 debates. It is not a full survey of their campaign platforms. Where a row shows only a debate entry, the topic did not come up in either candidate's post-primary speech. Note: the available transcript of Rogers' remarks begins well into a longer unity event, so some topics he may have addressed earlier in the event are not captured here.

A few notable exceptions

Data centers, the Iran war and Israel did not come up in either candidate's post-primary remarks, apart from El-Sayed's direct appeal to Jewish American voters, but all three were major topics at the Oct. 8 debate. Reproductive rights, a significant national issue, did not come up in either the speeches or the debate.

Since the primary

Both candidates have said they support pausing state and federal fuel taxes as gas prices rise. On health care, Rogers has outlined a plan centered on price transparency, lower prescription drug prices, and insurer reporting on claim denials, while El-Sayed continues to campaign on Medicare for All.

On Iran, both candidates said at the Oct. 8 debate that the war should end. Bridge Michigan's review of Rogers's public statements found he wrote on Feb. 28 that Iran "must not have a nuclear weapon," called the war a "win-win-win" on May 31 while saying he wanted it over, and said on Sept. 21 that it "needs to end and end quickly." Rogers's campaign pointed to his remarks on diesel and grocery prices. El-Sayed has called the shift a flip-flop.

On data centers, Rogers said on Aug. 20 that he supports a pause on new construction, which news reports described as a one-year ban. El-Sayed has called for federal "terms of engagement" rather than a ban.

On health care, Bridge Michigan's Sept. 25 fact check of Rogers's claims about Medicare for All found that funding the plan would likely require new taxes, though some families' overall costs could fall. It also found that El-Sayed's current position is that people could keep additional private coverage, which his website says the plan would make "redundant and unnecessary." His campaign has not said how the plan would be paid for.

Bridge Michigan has fact-checked claims from both campaigns, including Rogers' criticism of El-Sayed's Medicare for All proposal and El-Sayed's past comments on sentencing. See its "Fact checks ahead of Michigan's general election" page.

Looking for our full primary debate coverage and the official-campaign-website issue comparison? That in-depth breakdown has moved to its own companion piece.

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In the News

The race is moving quickly. Below is a curated collection of recent coverage from local and national outlets — endorsements, fact-checks, candidate interviews, and more. We don't pick sides; we just pull the sources together so you can read for yourself.

Voter Guides & Election Trackers

The following resources offer additional coverage, candidate profiles, and election tracking from news organizations and nonpartisan sources.

• Wikipedia — 2026 United States Senate Election in Michigan. Running summary of the race with candidate information, polling, and fundraising data. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_election_in_Michigan
• WDET 101.9 FM (Detroit Public Radio) — 2026 Voter Guide. Detroit Public Radio's comprehensive voter guide covering candidates, ballot access, and key issues across Michigan's 2026 races. https://wdet.org/2026voterguide
• Michigan Advance — U.S. Senate Voter Guide. Ongoing coverage and candidate profiles from Michigan Advance, a nonprofit news organization covering state government and politics. https://michiganadvance.com/voter-guides/contests/u-s-senate/
• Ballotpedia — United States Senate Election in Michigan, 2026. Nonpartisan encyclopedia-style overview of the race, including candidate lists, election history, and primary details. https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Michigan,_2026
• Cook Political Report — Michigan Senate Race Rating. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report's current competitiveness rating for the general election. https://www.cookpolitical.com/senate/race/488606

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Meet the Candidates

Abdul El-Sayed (D) — Democratic Nominee

Website: https://abdulforsenate.com Current Job: Incision Media Job Title: Physician, epidemiologist, former head of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veteran Services Age: 42 Date of Birth: 10/31/1984 City: Ann Arbor County: Washtenaw

Top Priorities

The priorities below are drawn from the candidate's official campaign website and reflect the issues the campaign specifically chose to emphasize.

• Campaign Finance: Supports overturning Citizens United, banning outside spending through Super PACs and 501(c)4s, and public election funding with spending caps.
• Gerrymandering: Wants congressional districts drawn by a federal nonpartisan committee modeled on the Federal Reserve Board, appointed on rolling terms.
• Supreme Court Reform: Supports ending lifetime appointments, imposing term limits, and equal appointments per presidential term.
• The Filibuster: Believes the filibuster is antidemocratic and supports abolishing it.
• Voting Access: Opposes voter ID laws like the SAVE Act; supports automatic voter registration, holiday election days, and no-reason absentee and early voting.
• Civil Rights & Liberties: Supports protecting healthcare decision privacy and freedom of speech and protest; opposes government interference in personal healthcare choices.
• Immigration: Supports abolishing ICE and replacing it with a new enforcement structure, and repurposing its funding toward legal-pathway infrastructure.
• Environment & Natural Resources: Supports codifying the EPA's Endangerment Finding, strengthening air quality and NEPA standards, and shutting down Line 5.
• Water: Supports a federal water guarantee (50 gallons per person per day, bills capped at 2% of household income), accelerated lead pipe removal by 2030, and PFAS polluter accountability.
• Healthy Food and Agriculture: Announced Sept. 29, his "Building a Healthier America" agenda supports the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act, restoring PFAS drinking-water limits, full lead-pipe replacement, local-farm sourcing for school meals, challenging consolidation in the seed, fertilizer and chemical markets, and opposing liability shields for agrochemical and PFAS manufacturers.
• Foreign Policy: Opposes the war with Iran and blank-check military aid to foreign governments including Israel; supports an arms embargo on Israel and reinvestment in foreign aid including UNRWA.
• Jobs & Trade: Supports targeted, sunset-clause tariffs paired with union input, and stronger FTC anti-monopoly enforcement.
• Taxing Billionaire Wealth: Supports taxing capital gains and inheritance over $1 million as ordinary income, a billionaire wealth tax, and closing the Social Security payroll tax cap.
• Artificial Intelligence: Supports federal AI safety guardrails and an independent AI enforcement agency; opposes AI overriding doctors' healthcare decisions.
• Data Centers: Supports federal zoning guidelines and a "Terms of Engagement" framework for data centers.
• Housing & Homelessness: Supports a building boom, banning corporate ownership of single-family homes, banning algorithmic rent-fixing software, and a federal renter's bill of rights.
• Education: Supports universal pre-K, debt-free public higher education, a $60,000 teacher salary floor, and full IDEA funding.
• Farming: Supports capping farm subsidies at $250,000 per year, redirecting savings to family farmers, targeted (not blanket) tariffs on specialty crops, and H-2A guest worker reform.
• Healthcare (Medicare for All): Supports expanding Medicare to cover every American from birth, including dental, vision, and hearing, without premiums or deductibles; opposes Medicaid and ACA subsidy cuts from the reconciliation bill. His campaign website says the plan does not have to ban additional private insurance but should make it "redundant and unnecessary."
• Veterans Affairs: Supports expanding VA services, housing, jobs, and education access for veterans.
• Breaking Up Big Healthcare: Supports FTC power to review and break up hospital-merger monopolies; backs the Break Up Big Medicine Act.
• Prescription Drugs: Supports expanding Medicare drug price negotiation to all drugs and all patients, public manufacturing of essential medications, and ending pharmacy benefit managers.
• Public Health: Supports fixed-term, Senate-confirmed appointments for CDC, FDA, and NIH leadership, insulated from political turnover.
• Healthcare Freedom for Women & LGBTQ+ Americans: Supports codifying Roe v. Wade protections federally and opposes criminalizing reproductive or gender-affirming care.

Endorsements

• Endorsed by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both actively campaigning alongside El-Sayed at rallies in Detroit (July 18) and Lansing (July 19), also featuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Also endorsed by Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Ro Khanna, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), and State Rep. Reggie Miller (D-Van Buren Township), and other Michigan state representatives; labor endorsements include the UAW, National Nurses United, and AFT Michigan; Working Families Party, MoveOn, and Indivisible (national and Michigan branches) have also endorsed. See his full endorsements page for the complete list.
• On July 22, 314 Action — a national group that recruits and elects candidates with backgrounds in science and medicine — endorsed El-Sayed. The group has previously drawn scrutiny for accepting $1 million during the 2024 cycle from a PAC affiliated with AIPAC; it says it has not taken AIPAC-linked money this cycle and does not take foreign-policy positions for its endorsed candidates.
• Has pledged to refuse corporate PAC money and AIPAC support; running explicitly as an outsider candidate funded by individual donors
• Also endorsed by AFSCME, the IAM Union's Michigan Machinists Council, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, and Michigan Jews for Democracy, a coalition of about 600 Michigan Jews that includes former Reps. Sander Levin and Andy Levin. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who had supported Stevens in the primary, said on Sept. 22 she will vote for El-Sayed. Former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned with El-Sayed in Detroit on Sept. 22.

Career

• Physician and epidemiologist who served as Executive Director of the Detroit Health Department (2015–2017), one of the youngest big-city health directors in the country; ran for Michigan governor in 2018, losing in the primary to Gretchen Whitmer; served as Wayne County Health Director (2023–2025)
• Since leaving public office, built Incision Media, a political podcast and production company; remains active in progressive politics and media

Personal

• Born in Ann Arbor to Egyptian immigrant parents; earned his medical degree from Columbia and a doctorate in public health from Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar
• Muslim and has spoken openly about his faith throughout his political career; lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and daughter

Race Note

In September, Nonnegotiable Michigan, a coalition of Michigan Jewish clergy and synagogue lay leaders, launched a petition asking El-Sayed to affirm five "baseline commitments" on Jewish safety, identity, Jewish sovereignty in Israel, participation in American political life, and a vision for the Middle East's future. Organizers described the petition as an invitation rather than an ultimatum and said they had not received a response from his campaign, according to The Center Square. El-Sayed has previously said his commitment to Jewish safety is the same as his commitment to the safety of his own daughters, that antisemitism must be addressed in all its forms, and that he stands against rhetoric that puts the community at risk. Other Jewish leaders and groups, including Michigan Jews for Democracy, have publicly backed his campaign.

Muslim Brotherhood claims. Rogers, his StopAbdul.com site and allied groups have said El-Sayed has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, and Rogers repeated versions of this at the Oct. 8 and Oct. 21 debates. Bridge Michigan reviewed the claims in a Sept. 3 fact check and found no evidence that El-Sayed has ties to the group or pledged support to it. Bridge's fact check of the Oct. 21 debate again found the claim unsupported by the evidence it reviewed. El-Sayed denies any ties to the group. Some claims point to past roles of El-Sayed's father-in-law with the Islamic Society of North America and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Both were named unindicted co-conspirators in a federal terrorism-financing case but were never charged. CAIR has rejected the characterization.

Physician title. El-Sayed holds a medical degree from Columbia University and a doctorate in public health from Oxford, and describes himself as a physician. Politico reported in May that he does not hold a medical license in Michigan or New York and that his hands-on patient care was limited. His campaign said he "has earned the right to be called 'doctor' twice over." Rogers raised the issue at the Oct. 8 debate. El-Sayed responded that he has a medical degree from Columbia.

Stevens endorsement. Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the August Democratic primary to El-Sayed and endorsed him afterward, said on Nov. 1 that she is endorsing Rogers, and appeared with him at a Detroit church service. Stevens said El-Sayed's campaign had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. In the days before, El-Sayed's campaign had said it wanted to avoid distractions at its final events. On Nov. 1, El-Sayed said the endorsement was a distraction from the issues at stake. The dispute followed a disagreement over an ad by an outside group that linked U.S. support for Israel to grocery prices. Stevens, who said on Oct. 28 that she would vote for El-Sayed, asked him to publicly reject the ad and to apologize for past comments about Israel. El-Sayed said he did not agree with the ad and that it was not connected to his campaign. On Oct. 28, Stevens's fiancé told The Detroit News that he would vote for Rogers. Rogers has said he welcomes Stevens's support.

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Mike Rogers (R) — Republican Nominee

Website: https://rogersforsenate.com/ Current Job: Private sector Note: Former U.S. House Representative, 2001–2015 Age: 63 Date of Birth: 06/02/1963 City: Genoa Township County: Livingston

Top Priorities

The priorities below are drawn from the candidate's official campaign website and reflect the issues the campaign specifically chose to emphasize.

• Housing: Supports expanding 529 education savings plans to also cover first-time home down payments, with tax-free contributions allowed at any time for any purpose, and 529 funds counting toward a home's first year of property taxes without affecting PMI eligibility. Supports letting renters build credit through on-time rent payments to lower future mortgage rates, and letting buyers defer student loans while saving for a down payment through a matching-contribution structure. Supports rolling back federal and state housing regulations he says have driven up costs, and creating tax-free "residential housing zones" to incentivize new home construction.
• Healthcare: Supports requiring hospitals and insurers to publicly post real prices before care is delivered, with fines for those that don't; expanding access to Trump Rx, which his site says uses the government's bulk-buying power to lower drug prices, and speeding approval of lower-cost generics; and requiring insurers to publicly report denial rates, approval times, and appeal outcomes, with penalties for excessive denials or delays.

Endorsements

• Endorsed by President Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, NRSC Chairman Tim Scott, U.S. Senators Tom Cotton, Roger Wicker, Steve Daines, John Barrasso, Bernie Moreno, and Cynthia Lummis; Michigan Congressmen Jack Bergman and Tim Walberg and Congresswoman Lisa McClain; State Senator Rick Outman and State Representatives Phil Green, Tom Kuhn, Matt Maddock, David Martin, Luke Meerman, Jamie Thompson, and Curt VanderWall; several county sheriffs; the Michigan Farm Bureau, the Police Officers Association of Michigan, Associated Builders and Contractors, the Southeast Michigan Chamber of Commerce, and "Auto Workers for Trump."
• Sentinel Action Fund and its 501(c)4, Right Vote, announced a $15+ million investment in Rogers' campaign in March, covering advertising, voter outreach, and early-vote operations, alongside a voter resource site (MI.VOTE).
• Also endorsed by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and additional business-community groups.
• Democratic U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the August primary to El-Sayed, endorsed Rogers on Nov. 1.

Career

• Former FBI special agent and 14-year U.S. Representative (2001–2015); chaired the House Intelligence Committee, becoming one of Congress's most prominent national security voices in the post-9/11 era
• Narrowly lost to Elissa Slotkin in the 2024 Senate race; running again in 2026 with major outside money behind him, including a $51 million commitment from the Senate Leadership Fund

Personal

• Michigan native; attended Adrian College, played football, then served in the U.S. Army before joining the FBI
• Lives in Genoa Township, Livingston County, with his wife Kristi Rogers

Race Note

Assembly-line claim. In interviews and ads, Rogers has said he worked on a car assembly line while in college. Michigan Advance reported on Sept. 24 that records show he worked from 1981 to 1982 at Cars & Concepts, a Brighton aftermarket shop that converted already-built Chrysler LeBarons into convertibles, and that he never worked for a major automaker. A former UAW local president disputed the characterization. Rogers's campaign says he worked on LeBarons at the shop, drilling and riveting panels, and that the UAW, which endorsed El-Sayed, is biased.

Stevens endorsement. Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the August Democratic primary to El-Sayed and endorsed him afterward, said on Nov. 1 that she is endorsing Rogers, and appeared with him at a Detroit church service. Stevens said El-Sayed's campaign had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. In the days before, El-Sayed's campaign had said it wanted to avoid distractions at its final events. On Nov. 1, El-Sayed said the endorsement was a distraction from the issues at stake. The dispute followed a disagreement over an ad by an outside group that linked U.S. support for Israel to grocery prices. Stevens, who said on Oct. 28 that she would vote for El-Sayed, asked him to publicly reject the ad and to apologize for past comments about Israel. El-Sayed said he did not agree with the ad and that it was not connected to his campaign. On Oct. 28, Stevens's fiancé told The Detroit News that he would vote for Rogers. Rogers has said he welcomes Stevens's support.

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Also on the November Ballot

Four minor-party candidates appear on Michigan's official November ballot for U.S. Senate. Together they drew about 2% of likely voters in Suffolk University's September poll. Profiles below draw on candidate and party websites and published reports; limited public information is available for some candidates at time of publication.

Lydia Christensen (Libertarian)

• Website: https://www.lydialynnchristensen.com/
• Current Job: Iron Fortress LLC
• Job Title: Founder and CEO
• City: Ironwood
• County: Gogebic

Positions

• Supports ending warrantless surveillance of Americans' communications, ending "sneak-and-peek" warrants and National Security Letters, and a "Bill of Digital Rights"
• Supports repealing the 100-mile zone near the border where warrantless searches are permitted
• Supports defending the Second Amendment with responsible ownership and safety measures
• Supports "Medicaid for All" and Social Security, structured as opt-in programs rather than mandates
• Supports protecting the Great Lakes and clean water, tribal sovereignty, economic opportunity in rural and Upper Peninsula communities, and responsible cryptocurrency policy

Career

• Founder and CEO of Iron Fortress LLC, a Michigan-based company that describes its work as sustainable energy and computing infrastructure, including AI computing and bitcoin mining; trained as a computer scientist
• Nominated at the Libertarian Party of Michigan convention on June 28, 2026

Personal

• Family roots in Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula, where she lives; born in Ashland, Wisconsin; grew up in the foster care system
• Her campaign says she is a member of the Kiowa-Sioux Nation

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Walter P. Kristy (Natural Law Party)

• Website: https://nlpmi.org/ (Natural Law Party of Michigan)
• Current Job: —
• Job Title: Vice Chair, Natural Law Party of Michigan
• City: Fenton

Kristy is vice chair of the Natural Law Party of Michigan, a recognized Michigan political party, and its nominee for U.S. Senate. We did not find a separate campaign website or published policy platform. Limited public information is available at time of publication.

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Tim Long (U.S. Taxpayers Party)

• Website: https://ustpm.org/candidates (U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan)
• Current Job: —
• City: —

Long is the U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan's nominee for U.S. Senate. The party is Michigan's affiliate of the national Constitution Party. Long was the party's candidate for Wayne County Commission (District 14) in 2024 and lost the general election. Limited public information is available at time of publication.

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Douglas P. Marsh (Green Party)

• Website: —
• Current Job: —
• Job Title: Journalist
• City: —

Marsh is the Green Party's nominee for U.S. Senate; he was also the party's nominee in 2024. According to published profiles, he is a journalist with a background in the publishing industry and holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Michigan. Limited public information is available at time of publication.

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How the Money is Flowing: Campaign Finance Overview

How Much Have the Candidates Raised?

Fundraising is often an indicator of organizational strength and voter enthusiasm. In the most recent quarterly reporting period (July 16 to Sept. 30), El-Sayed's campaign raised about $30.7 million, the highest quarterly total of any candidate in Michigan history, and ended the period with about $3.8 million in cash on hand. Rogers raised about $9.7 million in the same period, the most he has raised in a quarter across his two U.S. Senate campaigns, and ended it with about $6.5 million in cash on hand. Stevens and McMorrow are no longer campaigning. Cycle-to-date figures on FEC.gov show about $53.8 million in total receipts and about $2.73 million in cash on hand for El-Sayed's committees (coverage through Oct. 14), and about $23.0 million in total receipts and about $3.90 million in cash on hand for Rogers's committees (coverage through Oct. 22).

The "Q3 Raised" column reflects the third-quarter filing period. Cash-on-hand figures are as of Sept. 30, 2026.

Source: Federal Election Commission (fec.gov), via FEC quarterly filings as reported by Bridge Michigan on Oct. 16, 2026. Newly filed summary data may not appear for up to 48 hours.

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Outside Spending

Outside spending refers to money spent by Super PACs, party committees, and other independent groups to support or oppose candidates — separate from the candidates' own campaigns. Unlike direct contributions, outside spending has no legal limit. For a plain-language explanation of how PACs work and why they matter, read our guide: The Impact of Political Committees (PACs) in Elections.

During the Democratic primary, outside groups spent more than $60 million on ads, according to the Associated Press, including roughly $30 million from the AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project. (The New York Times put AIPAC's total at $32 million.) El-Sayed has put total outside spending in support of Stevens at about $70 million; that figure has not been independently confirmed.

Here's what was known about outside spending in the primary as of mid-July 2026:

• AIPAC's United Democracy Project had spent nearly $15 million on the race as of mid-July — $9.3 million supporting Stevens and $5.7 million opposing El-Sayed. The Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) PAC also backed her. AIPAC spent heavily in Stevens' 2022 primary victory. By mid-to-late July, AIPAC-affiliated spending overall (United Democracy Project and DMFI combined) had grown to nearly $30 million — the largest single-race investment in AIPAC's history.
• A second pro-Stevens PAC, A Stronger Michigan, formed in June and had spent over $12 million as of mid-July; it had not yet disclosed its donors.
• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), which works to elect Democrats to the U.S. Senate, had privately backed Stevens but had not made major public expenditures in the race as of mid-July.
• On the Republican side, the Senate Leadership Fund committed $45 million to Rogers' campaign and later raised its planned investment to $51 million, and Sentinel Action Fund and its 501(c)4, Right Vote, announced a separate $15+ million investment in March covering advertising, voter outreach, and early-vote operations. Combined outside spending deployed on Rogers' behalf through mid-July totaled about $10.9 million, with the bulk of committed funds expected to be spent closer to November.
• By contrast, only about $2.6 million in outside spending had supported El-Sayed through mid-July.
• Michigan is considered one of the most competitive Senate seats in the country in 2026, which is why it attracted this level of outside spending from national groups on all sides.

Since the Primary

As of Oct. 2, Bridge Michigan's review of FEC records showed disclosed spending in the race had passed $205 million. About $157 million of that was outside spending: roughly $75 million in the Democratic primary and $82 million in general-election independent expenditures. Of the general-election total, Republican-aligned groups had spent about $59.3 million and groups backing El-Sayed about $23 million. Spending for Rogers included nearly $22 million from the Senate Leadership Fund, more than $13 million from No Going Back (a super PAC affiliated with MAGA Inc.), and about $3.9 million from Elon Musk's America PAC. The AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project, which spent nearly $31 million against El-Sayed in the primary, had reported no general-election spending. AdImpact, which also tracks ads from undisclosed sources, put general-election ad spending at about $103 million, with another $65 million reserved through Election Day (about $42 million of it for Rogers). Senate Majority PAC, the top Senate Democratic super PAC, announced a $20 million ad reservation in May. The 2024 Senate race between Rogers and Elissa Slotkin drew more than $217 million in disclosed spending.

Bridge Michigan reported on Oct. 16 that disclosed spending in the race had passed $270 million, making it the most expensive election in Michigan history and surpassing the more than $217 million spent in the 2024 Senate race. In its fact check of the Oct. 21 debate, Bridge reported that outside groups had spent about $95 million supporting Rogers and about $42 million supporting El-Sayed, and that Senate Majority PAC had reportedly committed about $35 million to the race.

This section will be updated as general-election outside spending data becomes available. You can track outside spending in real time at OpenSecrets.org and FEC.gov.

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What Happens After Election Day?

After the election is certified, the senator-elect begins preparing to take office — hiring staff, setting up a Washington office and Michigan field offices, and going through new-member orientation alongside every other incoming senator. Unlike the Governor's office, there's no cabinet to assemble or executive agencies to staff; the transition is mostly about building a personal office and requesting committee assignments.

Michigan's new U.S. Senator is sworn into office at noon on January 3, 2027, when the 120th Congress convenes. The senator serves a six-year term with no term limits under the U.S. Constitution, and would next be up for reelection in 2032.

A new senator can begin shaping their impact immediately by requesting seats on key committees, hiring senior staff, and setting legislative priorities — but unlike executive appointments, a senator's influence builds over time. Committee assignments, subcommittee chairs, and leadership positions are typically won through seniority and party support, not granted on day one. That's part of why experience and relationship-building matter so much in this role.

Learn more:

• U.S. Constitution, Article I (Legislative Branch): https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/article-1/
• U.S. Senate: https://www.senate.gov

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Who Are the Michigan U.S. Senators Now?

Gary Peters (D) — Not Seeking Re-Election in 2026

Website: https://www.peters.senate.gov Current Job: U.S. Federal Government Job Title: U.S. Senator Age: 67 Date of Birth: 12/01/1958 City: Bloomfield Township County: Oakland Term: 2 Terms: 2015 – present (119th Congress) Note: * Not seeking re-election in 2026

Gary's Path to the Senate

• 1995–2002: Michigan State Senate — Michigan's 14th District
• 2003–2008: Commissioner of the Michigan Lottery
• 2009–2013: U.S. House of Representatives — Michigan's 9th District
• 2013–2015: U.S. House of Representatives — Michigan's 14th District
• 2015–present: U.S. Senate, seat vacated by Carl Levin (D)

Elissa Slotkin (D) — Not Up for Re-Election in 2026

Website: https://www.slotkin.senate.gov Current Job: U.S. Federal Government Job Title: U.S. Senator Age: 50 Date of Birth: 07/10/1976 City: Holly County: Oakland Term: 1 Term: 2025 – present (119th Congress) Up for Re-election: 2030

Path to the Senate

• Former CIA analyst who served three tours in Iraq alongside the U.S. military
• Worked in national security roles at the Pentagon and White House under Presidents Bush and Obama
• 2019–2023: U.S. House of Representatives — Michigan's 8th District
• 2023–2025: U.S. House of Representatives — Michigan's 7th District
• 2025–present: U.S. Senate, seat vacated by Debbie Stabenow

How Long is the Term and Term Limits

• Term: 6 Years
• Term Limits: None
• Next Election:
  • November 2026 for Gary Peters
  • November 2030 for Elissa Slotkin

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What Do U.S. Senators Do?

Michigan's U.S. Senators represent the entire state in Washington — not a single district, not a region, but all 10 million Michigan residents. The Senate is one of two chambers of Congress, and while it shares lawmaking power with the House of Representatives, it has several unique responsibilities that make it one of the most powerful bodies in American government.

Quick Facts

• 2 senators per state, 100 total
• One-third of the body is elected every two years
• $174,000 + benefits
• Meets in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, DC

What U.S. Senators Can Do

Make laws

Any U.S. citizen can propose a law, but only members of Congress can formally introduce legislation. In the Senate, a bill is assigned to a subcommittee, then a full committee, before being reported to the Senate floor. The majority party leadership decides when — and whether — a bill gets a vote. This process means that a Senator's relationships, party standing, and legislative priorities matter enormously in determining what actually becomes law.

Declare war

The Constitution gives Congress the power to formally declare war, with both the House and Senate participating — not the President. While modern military actions have often relied on other authorizations, this remains one of the Senate's most consequential responsibilities and a check on executive power.

Control the federal budget

The Senate raises and appropriates public money and oversees how it's spent. Every federal dollar that flows into Michigan — for roads, schools, healthcare, housing, and more — is authorized through the congressional budget process. Senators who sit on key appropriations committees have significant influence over how those funds are allocated.

Confirm presidential appointments

The Senate has the sole authority to confirm — or reject — the President's nominees for federal judges, Cabinet members, ambassadors, and other senior positions. This includes lifetime appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court, making Senate votes on nominations some of the most consequential in American political life.

Ratify treaties

Any international agreement negotiated by the executive branch requires a two-thirds Senate vote to become binding law. This gives the Senate a direct role in shaping U.S. foreign policy and international relationships.

Conduct impeachment trials

When the House votes to impeach a federal official — including the President — the Senate serves as the jury. Senators hear the case, deliberate, and vote on whether to convict and remove the official from office. It is one of the Senate's most solemn constitutional duties.

Provide oversight and conduct investigations

Senate committees have broad authority to investigate the executive branch, hold hearings, subpoena witnesses, and shine a public light on how federal agencies and programs are operating. This oversight function is a critical check on executive power — and a platform for Michigan's senators to elevate issues affecting the state.

The U.S. Senate seat is one of only two Michigan holds in the upper chamber of Congress. Whoever fills it will cast votes on issues that range from the price of prescription drugs to the future of the auto industry to the makeup of the federal courts — for a six-year term with no term limits.

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What U.S. Senators Cannot Do

While the U.S. Senate is one of the most powerful bodies in American government, the office operates within limits established by the U.S. Constitution and the structure of Congress itself. Many powers that feel like they belong to a single Senator actually require the House, the President, or the courts to act as well.

Pass laws alone

A Senator can introduce and vote for a bill, but a bill only becomes law if it also passes the Senate and the House and is signed by the President — or if two-thirds of both chambers vote to override a veto.

Appoint federal judges or officials

The Senate confirms or rejects the President's nominees for federal judges, Cabinet members, and other senior positions. It does not choose who gets nominated in the first place — that power belongs to the President.

Declare war unilaterally

The Constitution gives Congress — the House and Senate together — the power to declare war, not the Senate alone. In practice, modern military engagements have often happened without a formal declaration of war at all, which limits how much this power gets used either way.

Negotiate treaties

Treaties are negotiated by the executive branch. The Senate's role is to ratify or reject what's brought to it, with a two-thirds vote required — not to negotiate the terms itself.

Remove a federal official without the House impeaching first

The Senate conducts impeachment trials and can convict and remove an official from office, but only after the House has voted to impeach. The Senate cannot initiate the process on its own.

Enforce its own subpoenas

Senate committees can subpoena witnesses and documents as part of an investigation, but if someone refuses to comply, enforcing that subpoena typically requires the courts to get involved.

Set or override Michigan state law

A U.S. Senator represents Michigan's interests in federal policy, but state law is made and changed by the Michigan Legislature and Governor. A Senator has no authority over state-level laws or policy.

Control how state or local governments operate

Cities, counties, school boards, and the state government all have their own elected officials and authority. Federal officeholders, including Senators, don't manage their day-to-day operations.

Pass most major legislation with a simple majority

Most bills need 60 votes to end debate and come to a final vote, not a simple majority of 51. This filibuster threshold means one party rarely has enough votes in the Senate to act alone, regardless of how many seats it holds.

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What Has the Senate Been Doing?

How Much Legislation Actually Passes

By the numbers — 2025 (full year):

• 3,562 bills introduced in the Senate
• 24 became law
• That's less than 1%

By the numbers — 2026 (January–March):

• 698 bills introduced in the Senate
• 5 became law
• Still less than 1%

In 2025, the Senate introduced 3,562 bills. Twenty-four became law. That means for every 100 bills a senator introduces, fewer than one actually makes it through. 2026 is on the same track.

Not every bill is a major policy overhaul. Some commemorate a national awareness week. Others amend a single line of existing law or reauthorize a program that's been around for decades. They all come in the same way — numbered in sequence, referred to a committee, and then most of them wait — sometimes forever.

Why do so few pass? A bill has to clear a lot of hurdles — committee approval, a floor vote, the House, and the President's signature. And in the Senate, any senator can hold up a vote indefinitely through a procedural move called a filibuster. To override it, you need 60 votes — not just a simple majority of 51.

This is why experience matters when you're choosing a senator. Anyone can introduce a bill. Moving one all the way to becoming law takes relationships, strategy, and political muscle. When candidates tell you what they'll fight for, it's fair to ask: do they know how to actually get it done?

What Stands Out

Beyond the numbers, a few things stand out from the 119th Congress so far — a mix of major legislation that's already law, and fights that are still playing out:

• The budget reconciliation bill (the "One Big Beautiful Bill") is the single biggest piece of legislation this Congress has passed — permanent tax cuts paired with Medicaid and SNAP cuts that directly affect millions of Michigan households.
• Tariffs have been decided by the courts more than by Congress — the Supreme Court struck down the administration's sweeping IEEPA tariffs in February, a major reversal for an auto-dependent state like Michigan.
• The SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, remains one of the most contested pieces of election legislation pending in the Senate — read our full SAVE Act explainer.
• The new farm bill passed the House in April and is now before the Senate, where Michigan's Sen. Slotkin sits on the relevant subcommittee — a direct opportunity to shape legislation covering everything from crop insurance to SNAP.
• War powers votes on Iran have failed narrowly, repeatedly, in both chambers — an unresolved constitutional fight over who has the authority to authorize military action.

Every issue above — and dozens more, sorted by category with bill numbers, vote counts, and Michigan-specific impact — is tracked in a companion piece to this guide: 119th Congress Legislation Tracker: What's Passed, What's Pending, and What It Means for Michigan. It's a bill-by-bill breakdown of what the current Senate has actually done, updated as new Congressional Record Daily Digest data becomes available, so you can see the full record before deciding who you want representing Michigan in the next one.

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How the U.S. Senate Works

The U.S. Senate is one of two chambers of Congress. It has 100 members — two per state — and operates under a set of rules and leadership structures that shape what gets done, what gets blocked, and how Michigan's senators can make an impact.

Leadership

The Senate is led by the Majority Leader, who controls the floor schedule and decides what legislation gets a vote. The Minority Leader heads the opposing party. Leadership also includes party whips, who help count votes and keep members aligned. The Vice President of the United States serves as President of the Senate and can cast a tie-breaking vote, but otherwise has a limited role in day-to-day operations.

View the full U.S. Senate Leadership Roster >> www.senate.gov/senators/leadership.htm

Committees

Most of the Senate's real work happens in committees — smaller groups of senators who draft, debate, and advance legislation in specific policy areas before it ever reaches a full Senate vote. There are 16 standing committees in the current Senate, covering everything from agriculture to armed services to the judiciary.

Each committee has a chair (currently held by the majority party, Republicans) who sets the agenda and decides which bills get hearings. Getting a seat on a powerful committee — especially Appropriations, which controls federal funding — is one of the most effective ways a senator can deliver for their state.

View all the U.S. Senate Committees >> https://www.senate.gov/committees

Michigan's current senators sit on committees that directly affect the state:

Gary Peters (D)
Not seeking re-election in 2026

• Appropriations
• Armed Services
• Commerce, Science, and Transportation
• Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Elissa Slotkin (D)
Up for re-election in 2030

• Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
• Armed Services
• Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
• Veterans' Affairs

Subcommittees

Most committees are further divided into subcommittees focused on specific topics. For example, the Armed Services Committee has subcommittees on Cybersecurity, Personnel, Strategic Forces, and more. Slotkin sits on the Airland, Cybersecurity, and Emerging Threats subcommittees — areas directly relevant to Michigan's defense manufacturing sector.

Caucuses and Commissions

Beyond formal committees, senators participate in informal caucuses — voluntary groups organized around shared interests, like the Senate Auto Caucus (important for Michigan), the Rural Caucus, or the Bipartisan Senate Ukraine Caucus. These groups don't have legislative power, but they shape priorities, coordinate messaging, and build coalitions across party lines.

The 60-Vote Rule

One of the most important things to understand about the Senate is that most major legislation requires 60 votes to move forward — not a simple majority of 51. This threshold, known as cloture, is what's needed to end debate and force a vote. With 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats/Independents in the current Senate, significant legislation almost always requires some bipartisan support. It's why the ability to negotiate and build coalitions matters so much in a Senate race.

How a Bill Becomes a Law

• A senator introduces a bill, which is assigned to the relevant committee
• The committee holds hearings, debates, and votes on whether to advance it
• If it passes committee, Senate leadership decides whether to bring it to the floor
• The full Senate debates and votes — 60 votes to end debate, 51 to pass
• If it passes, it goes to the House, where the process repeats
• If both chambers pass identical versions, it goes to the President to sign or veto
• A presidential veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both chambers

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What to Look for in a U.S. Senator

Once you understand what a U.S. Senator does, the next question is: what kind of experience and leadership help someone do the job well? The Senate handles some of the most consequential decisions in American government — from confirming Supreme Court justices to ratifying international treaties to controlling the federal budget. The role requires a combination of policy depth, strategic thinking, and the ability to represent an entire state, not just a single district or constituency.

For a deeper look at what makes an effective legislator, read our guide: What It Takes to Be an Effective Legislator.

Legislative experience and process knowledge

The Senate is a complex institution with its own rules, procedures, and political dynamics. A candidate who understands how legislation actually moves — through committee, onto the floor, and into law — is better positioned to be effective from day one. Experience working within legislative bodies, whether at the state or federal level, is worth examining closely.

Policy depth across a wide range of issues

U.S. Senators vote on everything — defense, healthcare, trade, immigration, environmental policy, technology regulation, and more. A strong candidate can speak specifically and substantively about policy, not just in general terms. Voters should look for candidates who demonstrate real understanding of the issues, including tradeoffs, not just talking points.

Budget and fiscal understanding

Every federal dollar that flows into Michigan passes through the congressional appropriations process. A Senator who understands federal budgeting — how revenue, spending, and federal-state funding relationships work — is better equipped to fight for Michigan's priorities when resources are tight and competing interests are loud.

National security and foreign policy awareness

The Senate has unique authority over treaties, military authorizations, and presidential appointments that shape U.S. foreign policy. Michigan's economy is deeply tied to international trade, particularly with Canada and global auto markets. A candidate's fluency in these areas — and their understanding of how federal decisions affect Michigan specifically — matters.

Collaboration and negotiation

The Senate requires 60 votes to advance most major legislation, which means effective senators must be able to work across party lines. The ability to build coalitions, find common ground, and move things forward without abandoning core commitments is a practical skill — not just a campaign message.

Constituent connection

Michigan is a large, economically and geographically diverse state — from the UP to Detroit, from rural farming communities to major research universities. A strong candidate understands that diversity and can represent the full range of Michigan residents, not just the ones who voted for them.

Communication and transparency

Senators cast votes that affect millions of people, often on issues that are highly technical or politically charged. The ability to explain those votes clearly, honestly, and in plain language — and to stay accountable to constituents between elections — is part of the job. How a candidate communicates during the campaign often reflects how they'll communicate from Washington.

Integrity and public trust

A U.S. Senator holds significant power over federal appointments, legislation, and public resources. A candidate's personal and professional track record — how they've handled mistakes, how they've treated the public trust, and whether their record matches their rhetoric — deserves serious scrutiny. Voters are essentially hiring someone to represent Michigan's interests in one of the most powerful legislative bodies in the world.

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Lost or Dropped Out Candidates

Haley Stevens (D)

Lost the August 4, 2026 primary.

Website: https://www.haleyformi.com Current Job: U.S. House of Representatives Job Title: U.S. Representative, Michigan's 11th District Age: 43 Date of Birth: 06/24/1983 City: Birmingham County: Oakland

Top Priorities

The priorities below are drawn from the candidate's official campaign website and reflect the issues the campaign specifically chose to emphasize.

• Equitable Federal Investment: Ensure federal resources and infrastructure investments are delivered equitably to underserved Michigan communities to strengthen public services, transit, and economic opportunity.
• Economic Empowerment and Access: Expand access to capital and training for underserved communities and advance an industrial policy that creates jobs, lowers costs, and strengthens Michigan's economic future.
• Safer Communities: Advance fair and accountable policing, invest in community-based violence prevention, and strengthen commonsense gun safety laws.
• Health and Family Stability: Lower health care costs, advance health equity, protect science-based care, and defend Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
• Education, Innovation, and STEM Workforce Future: Ensure Michigan leads 21st-century manufacturing and innovation by investing in education, STEM and job-training pipelines, and policies that strengthen the supply chain.
• Water and Infrastructure: Prioritize safe, clean drinking water, invest in lead pipe replacement, and fight contamination like PFAS, especially in communities most affected by environmental injustice.
• Lowering Housing Costs: Increase housing supply, support low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities, and strengthen pathways to the middle class.
• Has described herself as a "proud pro-Israel Democrat;" backed by AIPAC and the Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) PAC; was booed at the 2026 Michigan Democratic Party Convention over her stance on Israel

Endorsements

• Endorsed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (July 24), retiring U.S. Senator Gary Peters — the senator whose seat she's seeking to fill — along with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, former Michigan Governor and U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (DE), and the Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus; receives reported support from Senate Democratic leadership including Chuck Schumer and the DSCC. EMILYs List endorsed on July 6. State-level endorsers include Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, State Sens. Paul Wojno and Dayna Polehanki, and State Rep. Jennifer Conlin. Labor endorsements include Boilermakers Local 169, UNITE Here Local 24, IronWorkers Local 25, Michigan Laborers District Council, and Teamsters Joint Council 43 and Local 299; also endorsed by the Rev. Charles Williams II.
• After the primary, Stevens endorsed El-Sayed. On Nov. 1, she said she is endorsing Rogers instead (see the Race Notes in the El-Sayed and Rogers profiles). Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said after the primary that she supports El-Sayed.

Career

• Served as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Auto Rescue Task Force under Obama, helping save GM, Chrysler, and over 200,000 Michigan jobs; afterward, joined a manufacturing research lab focused on the future of work
• First elected to represent Michigan's 11th District in 2018; currently serving her fourth term in Congress with a focus on manufacturing, STEM education, and workforce development

Personal

• Born in Rochester Hills, raised in Birmingham; graduated from Seaholm High School; earned a B.A. and M.A. from American University
• Grew up in an entrepreneurial household where her parents ran a landscaping business; still lives in Birmingham

Race Note

On July 23, Stevens' campaign terminated its contract with consultant Cailin Legacki after learning of her paid consulting work for Palantir, a data and surveillance technology company that contracts with ICE. El-Sayed's campaign pointed to the connection in criticizing Stevens' record on ICE funding votes; Stevens' campaign said it was unaware of the outside work and reiterated her position that ICE needs reform — including ending what she calls its "slush fund" — rather than abolition.

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Mallory McMorrow (D)

Suspended her campaign July 5, 2026.

Website: https://mcmorrowformichigan.com/ Current Job: Michigan State Senate Job Title: State Senator, 8th District Age: 40 Date of Birth: 08/23/1986 City: Royal Oak County: Oakland

McMorrow suspended her campaign on July 5, 2026, citing an inability to break through in a race that had consolidated around Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens. She had been polling in single digits in recent weeks after leading or near the top of the field earlier in the cycle. Because Michigan's primary ballots were already printed, her name still appeared on the August 4 ballot; she received 4% of the vote, which did not count toward the nomination.

Top Priorities

The priorities below are drawn from the candidate's official campaign website and reflect the issues the campaign specifically chose to emphasize.

• Economy and Cost of Living: Supports raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hour indexed to inflation, expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, ending the carried-interest loophole, opposes broad Trump tariffs, and supports eliminating the Social Security payroll tax cap.
• Healthcare: Supports a Medicare buy-in public option open to any age, Medicare drug price negotiation with capped out-of-pocket costs, codifying abortion and contraception access into federal law, and treating mental health on par with physical health.
• Government Reform: Supports banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks, increased government transparency requirements, streamlining regulatory burdens on housing and infrastructure, and defending the rule of law against executive overreach.
• Kids and Families: Supports national paid family and medical leave, restoring the expanded Child Tax Credit, universal childcare and early childhood education, and stronger federal regulation of social media companies over youth mental health.
• Labor and Workers: Supports the PRO Act to protect union organizing, banning non-compete agreements federally, and cracking down on worker misclassification and wage theft.
• Public Safety and Guns: Supports universal background checks, a federal assault weapons ban, a national red flag law modeled on Michigan's, a ban on ghost guns, and repealing the law shielding gun manufacturers from liability.
• Immigration: Supports increased Border Patrol staffing and technology, hiring more immigration judges to clear the asylum backlog, expanding legal immigration pathways, and a full overhaul of ICE with enforcement refocused on violent crime rather than law-abiding immigrants.
• Foreign Policy: Supports strengthening NATO and U.S. alliances, opposes the Trump administration's military action in Iran as a "war of choice," and supports a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, including restoring humanitarian aid flow to Gaza and an end to Israeli bombing campaigns there and in the West Bank.
• Civil Rights and Democracy: Supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, nationwide automatic and same-day voter registration, a federal ban on partisan gerrymandering, reversing Citizens United, and Supreme Court age limits with a binding ethics code.
• Technology and Innovation: Supports independent third-party testing of AI models before deployment, restricting adversary access to advanced chips, a tax on corporate AI use to fund job training, and comprehensive federal data privacy legislation.
• Environment and Energy: Supports climate-resilient infrastructure investment, holding polluters financially accountable, expanded Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding, a federal PFAS ban, and requiring data center companies to pay for their own energy and grid upgrades.
• Housing: Supports expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, streamlining zoning and permitting to increase housing supply, and cracking down on corporate hedge funds buying up housing stock.
• Education: Supports increased federal public school funding, opposes school voucher programs, supports tuition-free community college, and reforming federal student loans to eliminate compounding-interest traps.

Endorsements

• Endorsed by U.S. Senators Peter Welch (VT), Martin Heinrich (NM), Elizabeth Warren (MA), and Chris Murphy (CT); Michigan State Senator Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor); the 12th Congressional District Democrats of Michigan; and autoworker unions; has pledged to refuse AIPAC money and has asked the organization not to intervene in the Democratic primary on behalf of any candidate

Career

• Industrial designer and creative director before entering politics; first elected to the Michigan Senate in 2018, now serves as Senate Majority Whip — the first woman in Michigan history to hold that position
• Became a national figure after a 2022 viral floor speech pushing back against a Republican fundraising email accusing her of grooming children; published her first book, Hate Won't Win, in March 2025

Personal

• Originally from New Jersey; earned a B.A. in Industrial Design from the University of Notre Dame in 2008
• Lives in Royal Oak with her husband and their daughter

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Genevieve Peters Scott (R)

Website: https://www.gpsforsenate.com/ Current Job: — City: —

Positions

• Revitalize Michigan's economy through a national skilled trades training program for middle and high schools
• Establish uniform nationwide standards for federal elections
• Require teaching of U.S. founding documents in K-12 schools
• Eliminate federal waste, fraud, and abuse; end what she calls unconstitutional spending
• Protect religious freedom and oppose government mandates
• Oppose sanctuary cities; support border security
• Aligned with the Trump America First agenda

Career

• Former educator who went on to join the leadership team in Michigan's third-largest county clerk's office, where she led election integrity efforts and bipartisan reforms; attended Western Michigan University
• A vocal Trump supporter and grassroots activist; she was present at events surrounding January 6th and has been documented protesting outside Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's home; nearly beat Rogers in a GOP straw poll before she officially entered the race

Personal

• Raised on Detroit's Eastside in a working-class family — her father built Chevys after serving in the military, her mother worked at the local diner
• Lives in Royal Oak with her husband John and their two rescue cats

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Frederick Heurtebise (R)

Website: — Current Job: R&E Automated Job Title: Welding Engineer City: Grand Rapids County: Kent

Heurtebise is a welding engineer from Grand Rapids with no campaign website and minimal public profile. He raised roughly $10,000. Limited public information is available at time of publication.

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Valerie Lee Willis (I)

Not listed on the November ballot.

Website: https://votewillisforussenatemich2026.com/ Current Job: As the Sun Rises Job Title: CEO City: —

Willis has run for Michigan's U.S. Senate seat multiple times — as a write-in candidate in 2018, on the U.S. Taxpayers Party ticket in 2020, and as a write-in again in 2024. She attended Central Michigan University and runs "As the Sun Rises," a Facebook-based advocacy group focused on child support reform. Limited public information is available at time of publication.

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T.J. Stephens (No Party Affiliation)

Not listed on the November ballot.

Website: https://www.tjstephens.net/ Current Job: MedExperts Job Title: CEO City: Grand Blanc County: Genesee

Positions

• Break the grip of the two-party system; running as an independent voice
• Transparency and honest communication as governing principles
• Reform the healthcare system — motivated by personal experience with insurance industry failures
• Fiscal responsibility and constituent-first governance
• Return decision-making power to Michigan voters, not party leadership

Career

• Senior executive in the medical software industry with a background that includes working as a volunteer firefighter, on an oil rig, and in real estate; his interest in healthcare policy stems from a personal battle with an insurance company at age 18

Personal

• Lives in Grand Blanc, Genesee County; no additional personal background publicly available at time of publication

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Joseph Tate (D)

Ran for about three months starting in May 2025, then withdrew early in the race and was never a factor.

Website: https://tateformichigan.com/ Current Job: Michigan House of Representatives Job Title: State Representative Age: 45 Date of Birth: 12/13/1980 City: Detroit County: Wayne

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Rachel Howard (D)

Rachel Howard withdrew from the U.S. Senate race in May 2026.

Website: https://rachelforussenate.org/ Former Job: Veterans Affairs Job Title: Research Health Science Specialist City: Dexter County: Washtenaw

Positions

• Gradual transition to a single-payer healthcare system covering physical and mental health
• Cut prescription drug prices and reform Pharmacy Benefit Manager conflicts of interest
• Overhaul VA healthcare and expand veterans' services and telehealth
• Reform child support system to reduce poverty among families
• Improve grade school education with a focus on both academic and vocational pathways
• Preserve Michigan farmland through tax incentives for agricultural use
• Reform campaign finance — ban corporate donations to individual candidates
• Evidence-based policymaking grounded in research, not party politics

Career

• Served 14 years as a combat medic in the Michigan Army National Guard, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan; one of fewer than 500 women ever to receive the Purple Heart; medically retired in 2019
• After service, worked as an EMT in metro Detroit, a clinical researcher at Henry Ford Health, and a Research Health Science Specialist at the VA in Ann Arbor, where she helped create one of the only Post-Deployment Respiratory Health specialty clinics in the country; resigned from the VA in 2026 to run for Senate

Personal

• Born and raised in Michigan, grew up in Macomb County; holds a bachelor's degree from Grand Valley State University and two master's degrees — one in Social Work from Wayne State and one in Public Health from George Washington University
• Mother and stepmother of four sons in a blended family; lives in Dexter

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How to Vote in Michigan

Knowing who's running is only half the equation. Here's how to make sure your vote actually counts on Election Day, November 3rd.

Start here: Look up your personal voter information

The Michigan Voter Information Center has everything you need in one place. Enter your information at mvic.sos.state.mi.us and you'll see:

• Whether you're registered to vote
• Your polling location on Election Day
• Your early voting location and hours
• Your absentee ballot status
• Your drop box locations
• All of your voting districts — county, state house, state senate, U.S. Congress, school board, and more
• Your local clerk's contact information

Key dates

• Absentee ballots: Available beginning September 24, 2026
• General Election: November 3, 2026
• Debates: October 8 (WOOD TV8, Grand Rapids) and October 21 (WXYZ-TV, Detroit); both have been held
• Early voting is available — check the MVIC site for your specific location and hours
• Michigan allows same-day voter registration at your local clerk's office

Not registered?

You can register online at mvic.sos.state.mi.us if you have a Michigan driver's license or state ID, by mail, or in person at your local clerk's office. If you're registering within 14 days of an election, you must do so in person.

Voter information is maintained by the Michigan Secretary of State. Contact your local clerk if you have questions about your specific situation.

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If you found this guide helpful, you can help make sure the next voter finds it too.

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Together, we can help every Michigan voter make a more informed decision at the ballot box.

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Content Disclaimer: Our team researches information from official websites, news outlets, and other public resources to make it easier for Michigan residents to stay informed. We strive to provide accurate, balanced, and up-to-date information, but we may occasionally miss updates or changes. Michigan Women is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and does not support or oppose any political candidate or party. This content is intended solely for civic education and public awareness.