Haley Stevens knows how to win in Michigan. Dems must decide if that's enough to win the Senate

By — Joey Cappelletti, Associated Press Joey Cappelletti, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/haley-stevens-knows-how-to-win-in-michigan-dems-must-decide-if-thats-enough-to-win-the-senate Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Haley Stevens knows how to win in Michigan. Dems must decide if that's enough to win the Senate Politics Jul 9, 2026 3:30 PM EDT SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens is spending the closing weeks of Michigan's Democratic Senate primary making a simple case: she's the candidate who wins. Stevens flipped a Republican-held House seat in suburban Detroit in 2018 and hasn't lost since, including surviving a bruising primary against a fellow Democratic incumbent after redistricting in 2022. She says it's what sets her apart from her opponent in the Aug. 4 primary, progressive Abdul El-Sayed. READ MORE: Rep. Haley Stevens ousts Rep. Andy Levin from Congress in Michigan Democratic primary "It is not a hypothetical that I beat Republicans," Stevens told The Associated Press after a campaign stop in West Michigan this week. "I win tough races. I have had Republicans throw everything at me and still managed to win." Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Holding Michigan's Senate seat is essential to any Democratic path back to the Senate majority this fall. That imperative only grew this week after Democrats' nominee in Maine, Graham Platner, said he planned to drop out after he was accused of sexual assault, threatening another seat the party had hoped to keep competitive. While no Republican has won a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan since 1994, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers came within 20,000 votes of doing so in 2024. READ MORE: What happens next in Maine and the battle for Senate control That calculation has led Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and influential Michigan Democrats, including former Sen. Debbie Stabenow, to rally behind Stevens, arguing she gives Democrats their strongest chance in November against Rogers, who is running again. But if electability is the party establishment's top priority, it's an open question whether Democratic primary voters agree. "Democratic leadership should think more in terms of what we want to accomplish, and less about, 'We've got to make it appeal to everybody,'" said Dave Burdick, 71, of Douglas, Michigan. He's backing El-Sayed, who has surged by arguing that Democrats don't have to run to the middle to win. El-Sayed has built his campaign around bold policy proposals, rejecting corporate PAC money and casting himself as an alternative to the status quo of the Democratic Party. "People don't want a moderate. They want somebody who's going to come in and effect change," Burdick added. Stevens makes the case for retail politics On a summer afternoon in South Haven, a community along Lake Michigan, Stev