New polling data suggests Representative Haley Stevens is now leading fellow Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate race, a development that comes after another candidate, Elissa McMorrow, exited the contest. El-Sayed had been anticipated to benefit from the departure of McMorrow.
Two recent polls indicate Stevens has gained an advantage over El-Sayed. However, one survey, a Data for Progress poll commissioned by the pro-El-Sayed super PAC American Priorities, shows El-Sayed ahead by 13 points. Analysts caution that polls sponsored by groups with a vested interest in a particular candidate may be less reliable.
Stevens has been focusing her campaign on issues such as manufacturing, tariffs, and the economic impact of current national policies, asserting that these issues are paramount to voters. Meanwhile, El-Sayed has mobilized a national progressive network, reporting that his campaign raised $4.57 million in the most recent fundraising quarter, more than double the amounts raised by either Stevens or Republican candidate Mike Rogers. Stevens raised $2.1 million in the same period, though she reported a larger amount of cash on hand at the end of June.
An analyst, Dulio, advised against overemphasizing the initial polling results regarding the allocation of McMorrow's former supporters. "We don't know that more of her voters haven't split toward El-Sayed," he stated. "I don't think we have enough evidence yet to say that's wrong or right."