Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens for the U.S. Senate on Friday, intervening late in a closely watched Democratic primary contest. Whitmer, who previously faced off against Stevens' primary opponent Abdul El-Sayed in the 2018 gubernatorial race, shared her endorsement in a video posted by Stevens on social media.
"As governor, I’ve had one strategy: get things done," Whitmer said in the video. "That strategy informs everything that I do, and that’s why I’m endorsing Haley Stevens for the US Senate. Just like me, Haley will do whatever it takes to get things done for the people of Michigan, and we need her now more than ever."
The endorsement arrived one day before the start of early, in-person voting for the Aug. 4 primary election. Stevens currently holds a four-point lead over El-Sayed, according to an average of recent polls compiled by RealClearPolitics.
Stevens expressed enthusiasm for the governor's support, stating on X that Whitmer is "a champion for our state" who "understands the stakes of this race and why it’s so important we elect the strongest Dem in this primary."
However, a recent poll indicates that Whitmer's endorsement may have limited impact on the primary's outcome. The WDIV/Detroit News poll found that 63.2% of Michigan Democrats believe the endorsement would have "no impact" on their vote, while 34.4% said they would be more likely to vote for the candidate Whitmer backed.
Stevens, if she wins the primary, is slated to face Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in the November general election. Michigan GOP officials criticized Whitmer's endorsement, with Greg Manz, a senior communications adviser for the Michigan GOP, arguing it signals "establishment Democrats are beyond panicked" about El-Sayed's potential victory. Manz asserted that both Stevens and El-Sayed support "far-left agenda[s] that would be devastating for Michigan."
El-Sayed, who lost to Whitmer by a significant margin in the 2018 gubernatorial primary, has garnered endorsements from prominent progressive figures, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.