Democratic Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens announced her campaign for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat Tuesday, pitting her against two left-wing outsiders in the primary race for the hotly contested seat.
Michigan’s Democratic Senior Sen. Gary Peters announced in January he will not be running for reelection in 2026, opening the seat in the battleground Great Lakes state which Trump carried by 1.4 percentage points in 2024. The state is one of two Trump-won states, along with Georgia, where Democrats are defending a Senate seat in 2026.
“Haley will work to bring down costs for Michigan families, continue to boost Michigan’s manufacturing and auto industries, and stand up to the Trump-Musk chaos agenda,” a statement on Stevens’ campaign website reads.
“Donald Trump says he couldn’t care less if auto prices rise,” Stevens said as she walked through a car factory in her campaign launch video. “I couldn’t care more.”
Stevens stood in opposition to the president, labeling his policy rollout “chaos,” as her video continued.
“Across the state I know we’re all feeling the hit of higher prices. The same groceries cost more each month. Housing is more expensive than ever,” the congresswoman said. “But all we’re getting is more chaos. What the heck are they doing?”
Despite being a sharp critic of Trump’s policies, particularly on Canada, Stevens is one of the few Democrats who has clarified they are not entirely anti-tariff. Stevens, a member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, told the Associated Press that she would support tariffs so long as they are designed to increase America’s manufacturing to match China’s manufacturing.
“What I do not support are shoot-by-the-hip, erratic tariffs that give us no rules of the road or path to understand how we can succeed,” Stevens told the outlet.
Stevens joins a Democratic primary which already features State Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Abdul El-Sayed, a 2018 gubernatorial candidate and public health official. Joe Tate, former Michigan state House Speaker, is also expected to declare his candidacy after deciding to not run for mayor of Detroit. El-Sayed is running to the left of his primary opponents and has been endorsed by Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats.
Only former Republican Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, who lost to Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin in the 2024 election by just 19,000 votes, has announced candidacy for the Republican primary in Michigan, positioning himself for a rematch for the Senate seat. However, longtime Michigan Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga, another potential GOP candidate, said his phone “hasn’t stopped ringing” since Peters announced his retirement, according to Fox News.
McMorrow is known for her viral moments while El-Sayed is tied closely to Sanders who also endorsed him in his gubernatorial run. The two candidates are the outsiders in the race while Stevens looks to defend and upgrade her position representing Michigan on Capitol Hill.
Pete Buttigieg, who served as Transportation Secretary under former President Biden’s administration, was rumored to be considering running for the Senate seat but announced last month he ruled out a campaign bid.
Stevens has represented Michigans’ 11th congressional district since 2018, and is no stranger to tough races after winning a tight reelection race in 2020. In 2022 and 2024, however, Stevens defeated her Republican opponents by wide margins after redistricting made her district more Democratic-leaning.
Stevens did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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