By Nolan D. McCaskill
Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow suspended her Democratic campaign for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, turning a three-way primary race in a key battleground state into a head-to-head between a moderate and a progressive.
McMorrow's exit leaves centrist U.S. Representative Haley Stevens and progressive public health advocate Abdul El-Sayed as the remaining candidates vying to face Republican former U.S. Representative Mike Rogers.
In a three-minute video posted to X, McMorrow pledged her "full support" to whoever wins the August 4 primary.
Recent polls showed McMorrow in distant third place, with El-Sayed leading Stevens.
El-Sayed said he welcomes McMorrow's supporters into his movement, warning that Michiganders "cannot allow the establishment to decide our nominee for us.”
Stevens praised McMorrow's "important voice" but reiterated that "I'm the strongest Democrat to defeat Mike Rogers this November."
Losing the Senate race in Michigan would make it significantly harder, though not impossible, for Democrats to flip the Senate in November.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Republican President won Michigan by 1.4 percentage points in 2024.