As election officials across the state finished tallying votes early Wednesday in Michigan's Democratic U.S. Senate primary, State Senator Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) announced she was endorsing Abdul El-Sayed, over her other former primary opponent, U.S. Representative Haley Stevens (MI-11).
The endorsement came nearly a month after she dropped out of the race.
Speaking to Michigan Public on Wednesday, McMorrow — who represents the 8th District, just northwest of downtown Detroit, in the state Senate — reflected on her own U.S. Senate bid and the road ahead for El-Sayed.
When asked if she thought, while watching results come in, that she should have suspended her campaign sooner, McMorrow said "there's always a lot of 'woulda, coulda, shoulda's.'"
"We knew, internally, that my supporters split almost 50-50 between Abdul and Haley," she explained, adding that this was also reflected in polling.
Because McMorrow's decision to suspend her campaign came after absentee ballots were already printed and mailed, she still managed to garner just over 61,000 votes, while El-Sayed bested Stevens by a little over 14,000 votes, in unofficial results.
He now faces Republican Mike Rogers, a former Michigan congressman, in the general election.
Michigan Democrats, if they are going to hold onto the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, must first unify around their nominee to replace him. McMorrow said she doesn't see that being a problem.
"I ran because I wanted to beat Mike Rogers, and that commitment remains as true today as it was when I was still in the race, and we're all locked in to do exactly that."
The contentious contest between Stevens and El-Sayed attracted national attention, amid debate about which direction the Democratic Party should take going into the midterms. McMorrow said it seems to her that "people were looking for the wrong takeaway." She argued that "it's not going left, or going more center or going middle." Rather, "it's recognizing, in this moment, the Democratic Party is a big tent party and is growing."
During the campaign, she offered voters something in the middle of El-Sayed, the race's more progressive candidate, and Stevens, who had the backing of establishment Democrats, including Sen. Gary Peters and Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
While cognizant of the party's "growing pains," McMorrow called not for consensus on the issues, but a collective focus on winning elections.
"I think if we take and adopt a team mentality, you don't have to agree with every Democrat on every issue, but you can find somebody who reflects you in this party and in this ticket, and we will have the numbers to soundly defeat the Republicans in November," McMorrow said.
When asked if she thinks Stevens will replicate the level of support she has shown for El-Sayed, McMorrow said "I know she will" and added that "we all came through last night and recognized we have to be a team."
Since El-Sayed's victory in the primary, several Democrats — including Sen. Peters, Governor Whitmer, and Rep. Stevens — have endorsed El-Sayed.
Even with early support from his former opponents and other elected Democrats, El-Sayed's path to victory in November isn't a straight shot in purple Michigan. An early poll showed Rogers leading El-Sayed by about 10 points in a head-to-head matchup.
"I look at that and I think we just have to introduce more people to Abdul and make sure Michiganders know who Mike Rogers really is," McMorrow said, adding that "you listen to him [Rogers] give interviews and he does nothing but fawn over Donald Trump," she said.
A defining issue in the primary race between Stevens and El-Sayed was U.S. support for Israel.
El-Sayed opposes unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel and has called Israel's actions in Gaza a "genocide." Stevens, meanwhile, has remained steadfast in her support for Israel. And during the primary, her campaign was backed by nearly $30 million in spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.
The differences that drew voters to each candidate don't worry McMorrow. "I really do believe there can be" a meeting of the minds on the issue, she said.
As for her own political ambitions, McMorrow said she was unsure about seeking statewide office again down the road, but has enjoyed canvassing on behalf of other candidates.
"That has been wonderful," McMorrow said.
