Abdul El-Sayed held a narrow lead in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary early Wednesday as voters across Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, and Washington participated in contests to select nominees for the upcoming November midterm elections. With 91 percent of the ballots counted, El-Sayed was ahead of US Representative Haley Stevens, although the race had not yet been officially called.
The winner of this contest will go on to face Republican Mike Rogers in a bid to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters, who is not seeking re-election. The primary race underscored a clear divide in party support: Stevens was backed by establishment Democrats, including Senator Peters, while El-Sayed garnered endorsements from prominent progressive figures such as Senator Bernie Sanders and Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib. Additionally, US support for Israel and its ongoing war in Gaza emerged as a significant issue throughout the Michigan primary.
Electoral activity was widespread across the United States. In Kansas, Republican Senator Roger Marshall secured a comfortable renomination and is set to face Democrat Adam Hamilton in November. Meanwhile, Democrat Cindy Holscher and Republican Ty Masterson, who received an endorsement from President Donald Trump, advanced to the gubernatorial election to replace the term-limited Governor Laura Kelly.
In Missouri, Democratic Representative Wesley Bell successfully defeated four challengers, including former Representative Cori Bush, to secure his renomination in the state's 1st Congressional District. Virginia also saw notable results, as Republican Bert Mizusawa won his party's Senate nomination and will challenge Democratic Senator Mark Warner this November. Elsewhere in Virginia, Democrat Shannon Taylor advanced in the 1st Congressional District, and former Representative Elaine Luria secured the Democratic nomination in the 2nd District, setting up a contest against Republican Representative Jen Kiggans.
In Washington state, Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, and Emily Randall all advanced to the general election following the state's all-party primary.
