What we're covering:
• All eyes on Michigan: The high-stakes Democratic primary – between progressive Abdul El-Sayed and more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens – will test whether the progressive movement’s success in more solidly Democratic areas can extend statewide in a critical swing state.
• Missouri stakes: Another ideological primary is playing out in Missouri’s 1st District, as progressive former Rep. Cori Bush aims to return to Congress after losing the 2024 primary to moderate Rep. Wesley Bell.
• Also to watch: Elsewhere, the primaries for Kansas governor will kick off the general election for a top Republican pickup opportunity and House primaries in Virginia and Washington will test the direction of both parties and set up races that will influence the balance of the House next term.
Democratic voters in Detroit cite outside spending and electability as deciding factors
Many supporters of Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive candidate in Michigan’s Senate Democratic primary, cited the volume of outside spending in the contest as a key deciding factor behind their votes.
Rome Moore, also a Democratic voter in Detroit, said he voted for El-Sayed “because he doesn’t take money from AIPAC.” He argued the party needs to move in a more progressive direction and “take care of the people here.”
Semaj Shelton, a Democratic voter who backed President Donald Trump in 2024, also voted for El-Sayed, saying he wants to see “overall change and people who had an independent view and thought process of what’s right for the voters. Not what’s right for corporate PACs or what’s right for any affiliations that support them.”
William Stephens said he voted for Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic Senate primary, citing her past work with the Obama administration on the auto bailout. He also raised questions about El-Sayed’s ability to appeal to a broader electorate in November.
“I used to be an auto worker for five years. That’s how I got through college so it’s important that that’s not forgotten,” he said. “There’s concern if her opponent wins, he can’t win in the election. So that was a concern too.”
Ta-Tanisha Baldwin cast her absentee ballot for state Sen. Mallory McMorrow on the same day she dropped out of the race but said she is now supporting El-Sayed.
A former candidate hands out snacks at a polling place in Detroit
Mallory McMorrow arrived at a polling place in northern Detroit this morning not pitching for votes but, instead, handing out snacks.
The state senator, who dropped out of the Democratic Senate primary race a month ago but made a point of not endorsing either of her former opponents, is planning to go to the party of whichever candidate wins on Tuesday night. At that time, she will be the first one to pitch for unity.
But first, she is walking around with a white basket full of candy and cookies for campaign workers who waited outside an elementary school to make final pitches to a very slow stream of voters who came in around midday.
Gretchen Whitmer broke monthslong neutrality to endorse Haley Stevens in Senate primary
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens late last month, delivering a boost to the favored candidate of the party establishment ahead of today’s primary matchup with progressive Abdul El-Sayed.
The endorsement was a break from Whitmer’s monthslong neutrality in the race between Stevens and El-Sayed. Whitmer defeated El-Sayed in the Democratic gubernatorial primary eight years ago.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have Gov. @GretchenWhitmer ’s endorsement for U.S. Senate,” Stevens wrote on social media. “She is a champion for our state, she understands the stakes of this race and why it’s so important we elect the strongest Dem in this primary, and she gets stuff done for Michigan. Let’s go win!”
Whitmer’s backing could carry weight. The term-limited governor leaves office at year’s end as one of the most popular Democrats in the battleground state, and though she’s downplayed talk of a 2028 presidential run, she’s never fully shut the door.
Senate GOP leader says Rogers is "well-positioned" regardless of which Democrat advances
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said today that his party’s presumptive nominee in the Michigan Senate race, Mike Rogers, is “well-positioned to win” regardless of whether progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed or the more moderate candidate Rep. Haley Stevens advances in the Democratic primary.
Rogers is a former House member who narrowly lost his previous Senate bid in 2024 to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin.
CNN has previously reported that Rogers told his supporters in a call that his campaign is in “good shape” if El-Sayed, a former public health official, captures the Democratic nomination.
On the Democratic side, a major issue in the race has been US support for Israel.
El-Sayed has called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” and has referred to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza after Hamas’ October 7 attacks as a “genocide.” Meanwhile, Stevens has the backing of AIPAC and has said she disagrees with Israel’s campaign in Gaza being characterized as a genocide.
Thune weighed in on the issue, saying the divide among Democrats gives the GOP an “opening.”
“Yeah, there’s been a historically — for whatever reason — a heavy tilt among Jewish Americans toward Democrats, and you’re starting to see that change a little bit. But the way that the Democrats are handling that issue nowadays, I think, creates a real opening for Republican candidates to start moving some of that vote in our direction,” Thune said.
CNN's John King talks to voters in Michigan
The future of the Democratic Party is center stage in Michigan.
CNN’s John King went to the must win swing state to talk to Democratic voters to try and learn how the latest chapter in the progressives v. establishment battle will play out.
The future of the Democratic Party is center stage in Michigan. CNN’s John King travels to the must win swing state to talk to Democratic voters to try and learn how the latest chapter in the progressives v. establishment battle will play out.
How outside spending has become a big topic in Michigan's Democratic Senate race
Outside spending has become a dominant theme of the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan.
United Democracy Project, the AIPAC super PAC, has spent the most, approaching $30 million, according to AdImpact. And its intervention has sparked criticism, animating Democratic divides over US policy toward Israel that have shaped primaries across the country this year.
On top of the TV ads, UDP has distributed mailers to voters highlighting Rep. Haley Stevens’ connection to former President Barack Obama and criticizing Adbul El-Sayed’s support from Hasan Piker, the pro-Palestinian streamer and leftist influencer.
Stevens has historically been one of the House’s more reliable pro-Israel Democrats. She has backed continued US military aid to Israel and supports a two-state solution for the region, though she has sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the campaign trail – drawing a rebuke from Netanyahu himself.
El-Sayed, an outspoken critic of Israeli leadership and the military campaigns in Gaza and Iran, has pushed back forcefully on the group’s opposition to his campaign.
“They are spending against me because they’ve called me the most dangerous candidate for the US-Israel relationship, because maybe I don’t want to waste our money fighting wars we don’t need,” he argued at a debate last month.
Stevens has also benefited from millions in spending by other outside groups not affiliated with AIPAC, reinforcing a broader establishment vs. anti-establishment dynamic that El-Sayed’s camp has embraced.
Here's what today's Senate primary could reveal about Democrats’ future
Today’s Michigan Senate primary sees Democrats Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens face off for the seat of retiring Sen. Gary Peters.
CNN’s Arlette Saenz reports on what’s at stake.
Tuesday’s Michigan Senate primary will see Democrats Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens face off for the seat of retiring Sen. Gary Peters in a closely watched race that could offer a glimpse into the Democratic Party’s future. The winner is expected to face Republican Mike Rogers. CNN’s Arlette Saenz reports.
