MI-SEN: The Most Combative Democratic Senate Primary Heats Up
Michigan may be known for Midwestern friendliness, but right now the swing state is home to the most combative Democratic Senate primary of the midterms.
Attacks are flying, prominent Democrats are taking sides, and the bruising contest is causing anxiety in the party. And with about three months left until the primary, the fracas is only just getting started.
The race is a three-way clash between Democrats from distinct wings of their party: There’s a centrist with establishment support, an upstart Bernie Sanders-backed populist, and a state lawmaker whose politics are somewhere in between. The winner of the Aug. 4 primary is likely to face Mike Rogers, a Republican, in November, as Democrats try to keep the seat of Senator Gary Peters, who is retiring. The contest, which is expected to be a major 2028 presidential battleground, could be crucial in the fight for the Senate majority.
Many of the fault lines running through the Democratic Party across the country are on clear display in the race. It will test Democratic voters’ hunger for new voices, their anger at party leaders, their attitudes on Israel and how much they care about candidates’ embarrassing social-media posts from years ago.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/us/politics/michigan-senate-primary-democrats.html