A major Democratic candidate in Michigan's Senate race just quit. Mallory McMorrow announced on July 5, 2026, that she was withdrawing from the primary. Now only two Democrats remain competing for their party's nomination before the August primary election.

The race is for a Senate seat being vacated by longtime senator Gary Peters, who is retiring. Republicans have already picked former congressman Mike Rogers as their candidate for November's general election.

McMorrow had started strong. In 2022, she gave a speech on the Senate floor defending LGBTQ+ rights that went viral on social media. That speech made her famous nationally. Major Democratic senators like Elizabeth Warren backed her. Through the end of 2025, she had raised $5.5 million—more than most other candidates running for Congress.

But her poll numbers began dropping in recent weeks, and she decided to quit.

Who Is Left in the Race

Abdul El-Sayed represents the left wing of Michigan Democrats. He is a former public health official. Major progressive figures like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez support him. His main policy idea is Medicare for All—a government-run health care system for all Americans.

If elected, El-Sayed would be the first Muslim US senator. That matters in Michigan because the state has one of the largest Arab-American communities in America.

But El-Sayed's statements about Israel have created sharp disagreements in the race. When a reporter asked him if Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, he did not give a simple yes. Instead, he said: "Israel exists. The question is whether or not we want a politics where our money is sent over to Israel to do genocide and apartheid." This comment exposed real disagreement among Michigan Democrats about whether the United States should continue supporting Israel.

Haley Stevens is a U.S. representative and the other main candidate. Democratic leaders like Chuck Schumer support her. Outside groups that favor Israel's interests, like AIPAC, have spent more than $16 million backing her campaign. That is an enormous amount of money for a primary race.

Why McMorrow Left

McMorrow's departure shows how much the Gaza conflict has changed the race. She had expected to run on economic issues and civil rights. Instead, the war in Gaza and questions about Israel pushed everything else aside.

She tried attacking El-Sayed for appearing with a popular leftwing streamer named Hasan Piker, who has been accused of antisemitic comments. But that attack did not help her.

The race's numbers were against her. El-Sayed was winning over progressive voters. Stevens had powerful supporters and lots of money. With three candidates in the race, El-Sayed kept winning a strong core of votes. Once McMorrow dropped out, Stevens faces a tougher situation: she has to convince voters who like neither candidate to choose her.

What Comes Next

The Democratic primary in August will determine which candidate faces Mike Rogers in November's general election. El-Sayed has energized voters focused on Gaza. But his comments about Israel will definitely be used against him if he wins and faces Rogers.

Stevens has far more money, but voters have become skeptical of outside spending since 2024.

The deciding factor may be Michigan's Arab-American and Muslim communities, especially those living near Detroit. In the 2024 presidential race, these voters made headlines for their large-scale protest voting. How they vote—and whether they convince other progressives to follow them—could decide who wins the August primary.