McMorrow drops bid for US Senate
McMorrow had trouble finding a lane—and funding—as neither the most moderate, nor the most progressive in the race.
Mallory McMorrow at a campaign event in Detroit on June 16, 2026
Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow has suspended her campaign for US Senate.
In a video announcing her decision, McMorrow highlighted some of her and her colleague’s accomplishments in the Michigan legislature.
“We repealed Michigan’s abortion ban. We raised wages. We made sure every child gets breakfast and lunch at school. We made it easier to go to college. We expanded civil rights, voting rights, and so, so much more,” McMorrow said.
While McMorrow was not forthcoming her reasons for suspending her campaign, funding might have been an issue.
Corporate PACs have spent heavily on Congresswoman Haley Stevens, with millions of dollars in ad-buys before McMorrow ever aired her first commercial. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is running a campaign to the left of McMorrow and has also abstained from taking corporate PAC money.
Even though McMorrow is leaving the race, she said she will not leave the “fight.”
“So, here’s what we do next,” McMorrow said. “Every day through November 3, we win this Senate seat, and we send Mike Rogers back to Florida for good. Whoever wins this primary on August 4 will have my full support.”
Reactions from both sides
Stevens said she looks forward to working with McMorrow in the future, while also making her case as the strongest candidate to defeat Republican Mike Rogers in the general election.
“Anyone who raises their hand to serve the people of Michigan and puts forward thoughtful ideas for how they would lead earns my respect,” Stevens wrote.
On the same day of McMorrow’s announcement, Stevens earned an endorsement from Attorney General Dana Nessel.
El-Sayed said people who are unhappy with corporate money in politics should consider his campaign.
“The reality of it is that $30 million of AIPAC spending that came in to drown out Senator McMorrow’s voice, that’s coming in an even uglier way against me,” El-Sayed said. “So I’m hoping that folks who supported Senator McMorrow wants to make sure that we have a voice in our politics.”
The Michigan Republican Party called both Stevens and El-Sayed “Marxist radicals,” asserting that Rogers will hold the future primary winner “accountable” for “turning their backs on Michigan’s families.”
What happens next?
Stevens and El-Sayed will face each other in a debate at Grand Rapids on Tuesday.
Mail-in ballots were already delivered, meaning McMorrow’s name still appears. People who have already voted and wish to spoil their ballot may do so at their local clerk’s office.
