Honigman Capitol Report

Election Edition

El-Sayed Defeats Stevens in U.S. Senate Primary

Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, defeating Haley Stevens despite establishment opposition and heavy outside spending against him, and will face Republican Mike Rogers in the general election. Running on a progressive platform centered on universal health care, rejecting corporate donations, reducing money in politics, abolishing ICE, and regulating artificial intelligence, El-Sayed framed his campaign as a grassroots challenge to powerful interests. His victory energized progressives and drew support from figures such as Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the United Auto Workers, while Republicans quickly attacked him as too extreme for Michigan. The race now shifts to whether El-Sayed can persuade moderates and independents in a competitive swing-state matchup against Rogers.

Benson to Face James in Governor Race

In the governor’s race, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson easily defeated Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, 83% to 17%, to win the Democratic nomination, while U.S. Rep. John James secured the Republican nomination by defeating businessman Perry Johnson, roughly 50% to 35%. Benson enters the general election emphasizing affordability, government accountability, election integrity and a large Democratic advertising advantage, while James is framing the race around conservative themes of freedom, free enterprise, tax cuts and opposition to what he labels a “Benson-El-Sayed” progressive agenda. The Benson-James contest is expected to draw heavy spending from both parties as Democrats try to hold the governor’s office and Republicans look to reclaim it after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s term ends..

Congressional and State Level Results

Other election highlights included several notable progressive and incumbent-challenger results across Michigan. Donavan McKinney beat U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar in the 13th Congressional District while William Lawrence won the Democratic nomination in the 7th District to face U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett. Christina Hines won the Democratic primary in the 10th District to face Michael Bouchard and Republican Thomas Smith won the 8th District primary despite having dropped out of the race. In state legislative contests, Natalie Price won the SD-10 Democratic primary, and Abbie Groff-Blaszak defeated Rep. Phil Skaggs in a Grand Rapids-area Senate race. John Conyers III won the crowded SD-3 contest, Abbas Alawieh defeated Rep. Erin Byrnes in SD-2, and Chris Gilmer-Hill defeated Rep. Helena Scott in HD-8. Joanna Whaley won the HD-2 Democratic nomination and may become the first openly transgender person elected to the Michigan House. Republican Senate primary winners included Dave Prestin, Gina Johnsen, John Wetzel, John Goldwater and several other Bright Spark Strategies-backed candidates.

Department of Justice Monitors Polling Sites

The U.S. Department of Justice monitored polling sites in Lansing, East Lansing, Detroit and Hamtramck to promote transparency, ballot security and compliance with federal election law, with officials noting that Civil Rights Division personnel would remain available through the Nov. 3 General Election. While DOJ representatives emphasized uniform and nondiscriminatory oversight, former Lt. Gov. John Cherry raised concerns that the effort could discourage voters by creating doubt about the election process. Cherry, along with former state leaders from both parties, is participating in “The Protect Democracy Project” to reassure Michigan residents that local clerks conduct elections reliably and that the results can be trusted.