Whitmer backs Haley Stevens in hotly contested Michigan Senate race

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) in the congresswoman’s tight Senate primary in Michigan against former public health official Abdul el Sayed.

Stevens and el Sayed are locked in a neck-and-neck primary to see who will vie to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) in the general election, with Stevens representing the more centrist, establishment wing as el Sayed is backed by several socialist lawmakers. Whitmer, who has won two statewide races in the purple state that President Donald Trump won in 2016 and 2024, said she is backing Stevens because the congresswoman shares her core “get things done” strategy.