Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made a late intervention in the hotly-contested Democratic Senate primary Friday, endorsing Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) over Whitmer’s former rival Abdul El-Sayed.
“As governor, I’ve had one strategy: get things done,” Whitmer said in a video shared by Stevens on X. “That strategy informs everything that I do, and that’s why I’m endorsing Haley Stevens for the US Senate.
“Just like me, Haley will do whatever it takes to get things done for the people of Michigan, and we need her now more than ever.”
Whitmer announced her endorsement of Stevens one day before the start of early, in-person voting for the Aug. 4 contest.
Stevens, who holds a four-point edge over El-Sayed, according to the RealClearPolitics average of polls, said she was “absolutely thrilled” to receive Whitmer’s backing.
“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,” Stevens wrote on X. “Let’s go win!”
A recent survey found that while Whitmer is viewed favorably by seven of eight Michigan Democrats, her endorsement is unlikely to overwhelmingly move the needle in the Senate primary.
Nearly two-thirds of Michigan Democrats (63.2%) indicated that Whitmer’s endorsement in the Senate race would have “no impact” on their decision at the ballot box, the WDIV/Detroit News poll found, though 34.4% said they would be more likely to vote for whoever Whitmer picked.
Greg Manz, a senior communications adviser with the Michigan GOP, argued Whitmer’s late endorsement demonstrates “establishment Democrats are beyond panicked” about the possibility of El-Sayed winning the primary.
“Whitmer closing ranks behind Stevens does not change the fact that she is every bit as extreme as Abdul El-Sayed — she supports the same job-killing EV mandates, hiking taxes on working families, allowing biological men to compete in women’s sports, and dangerous policies that weaken law enforcement,” Manz said in a statement.
“Michiganders won’t be fooled into believing Haley Stevens is any less radical than Abdul El-Sayed,” he added. “Their policies are indistinguishable, and either one would advance the same far-left agenda that would be devastating for Michigan.”
El-Sayed, who lost to Whitmer by nearly 22 percentage points in the 2018 gubernatorial primary, has secured endorsements from socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and “Squad” Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).
The winner of the Democratic primary will face former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) in the November general election.
