El-Sayed and Stevens face off in Aug. 4 primary
McMorrow announced her decision Sunday in a video statement. “I may be suspending this campaign, but I am not leaving the fight,” she said. “When regular people get in the fight, things can change.”
McMorrow, who had positioned herself between the party’s progressive and establishment wings, did not endorse either remaining candidate. In a social media post, she expressed gratitude for volunteers and donors and said she would place her “full support” behind whichever candidate won the primary.
Her withdrawal reshapes a primary that had featured three Democrats competing to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters in a state critical to Senate control. As MSI reported in February, the three candidates had been testing different visions of affordability in a state where voters focus on the cost of living.
The remaining race pits Stevens, a four-term representative aligned with the Democratic establishment, against El-Sayed, the more left-wing of the two remaining candidates. El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official who would be the first Muslim U.S. senator if elected, has been endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Stevens has the endorsement of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
McMorrow’s exit leaves a two-way race with just under a month until the Aug. 4 primary. Democrats view the Michigan seat as a must-hold contest if the party is to have a realistic chance of flipping Senate control in November.