Stevens and El-Sayed Too Close to Call for Michigan's Democratic Senate NominationAugust 5, 2026Associated Press / news@whmi.comModerate candidate U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and progressive favorite Abdul El-Sayed were in a tight race for Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate nomination in the early morning hours of Wednesday. “We knew that this was going to be a close race, and that’s exactly what we’ve got,” Stevens said. It also became the most notable proxy battle between the Democratic Party's establishment and progressive wings. That divide was laid bare by the two candidates' heavy-hitting backers: Sen. Bernie Sanders supported El-Sayed, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was behind Stevens. That included Melat Kiros, who recently beat a longtime incumbent in a Democratic primary for a Denver-based House seat and was at El-Sayed's watch party.