Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, once considered a star of the Democratic Party’s next generation, suspended her U.S. Senate campaign on Sunday, abruptly exiting a race that national Democrats had already decided for her.
McMorrow made the announcement via a video posted online, citing no specific reason for dropping out. But a person with direct knowledge told the Associated Press that the decisive factor was the flood of outside spending from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee propping up her rival, Rep. Haley Stevens. AIPAC poured millions of dollars into pro-Stevens ads, leaving McMorrow financially unable to compete.
“Today, I’m announcing that I am suspending my campaign for United States Senate,” McMorrow said in her statement. “For our thousands of volunteers, for everyone who donated what you could, building a campaign with zero corporate PAC dollars. For my staff, who built this team up from nothing. I thank you.”
Her exit reshapes a primary that was already drawing national attention. The August contest, now a two-person race, pits Stevens against progressive Abdul El-Sayed, who is backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has aligned with Stevens, as has Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who announced her endorsement of Stevens shortly after McMorrow stepped aside.
El-Sayed’s camp did not take the news quietly. He accused “party insiders” of “bullying anyone who opposes their chosen candidate” and called on McMorrow supporters to join “our movement.” In a post on X, he declared, “We cannot allow the establishment to decide our nominee for us.”
The seat up for grabs belongs to retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. Democrats cannot afford to lose it. If Republicans flip Michigan, flipping the Senate becomes far more likely. The presumptive GOP nominee is Mike Rogers, a former congressman who narrowly lost to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024.
What makes the race particularly telling is the battle fracturing the Democratic Party in the open. A AIPAC-backed moderate and a Sanders-backed progressive are now headed toward a direct confrontation on Tuesday, when they meet in a televised debate. McMorrow’s departure removes any buffer. Voters in Michigan’s Democratic primary will have to choose sides.
McMorrow said she has no plans to endorse either remaining candidate at this time.
The primary is one month away. Mail ballots have already gone out.
