Van Hollen joins Sanders in endorsing El-Sayed in Michigan Senate primary

Campaign Van Hollen joins Sanders in endorsing El-Sayed in Michigan Senate primary Comments: by Max Rego - 06/25/26 1:41 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Max Rego - 06/25/26 1:41 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) on Thursday endorsed progressive Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan.

El-Sayed, the former director of the Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services in Wayne County, Mich., is battling Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D) for the Democratic nomination in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.).

Peters, 67, is departing the upper chamber after two terms. The winner of the Democratic primary will likely take on former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), the GOP front-runner who narrowly lost to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) in 2024.

In a release from El-Sayed’s campaign, Van Hollen said the Senate needs “fighters” who seek to “dismantle a broken status quo that isn’t working for the American people” and take on the Trump administration.

“That’s why I’m endorsing Abdul El-Sayed for Senate in the great state of Michigan,” the Maryland Democrat added. “Abdul recognizes that our health care system is broken, that costs are too high, and that our economy isn’t working for working Americans.”

“He will fight for an America where unions are strong, and paychecks are big enough and costs are low enough that everyone in Michigan can afford to live with dignity. Abdul’s fearless voice is needed in the United States Senate,” Van Hollen wrote.

He now joins fellow Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in endorsing El-Sayed, who also has the backing of the influential United Auto Workers union.

El-Sayed on Thursday called Van Hollen a “determined fighter for Maryland’s working people” and a “statesman of the first order.”

The progressive candidate added, “His work to bring attention to Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as his work to guarantee the safety of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, are a testament to the power a Senator with moral clarity can have,” referring to Van Hollen meeting with and advocating on behalf of a Salvadoran man the Trump administration has unsuccessfully attempted to deport.

With nearly a month to go before the Aug. 4 primary, El-Sayed leads Stevens and McMorrow in most recent polling.

A survey conducted by Mitchell Research and Communications from June 11-13 found that 42 percent of 409 likely Democratic primary voters backed the former Wayne County official, while 33 percent supported Stevens and just 6 percent backed McMorrow. 20 percent of respondents were undecided in the poll, which had a margin of error of 4.85 percentage points.

Steve Mitchell, the pollster, told Politico last week the Michigan Information and Research Service decided not to release the poll after discussions with McMorrow’s campaign. Campaign officials were concerned the survey “understated” McMorrow’s support, Mitchell noted.

McMorrow on Thursday indicated she has no plans to drop out of the race, arguing the polling “has been all over the place” during an interview on “CNN This Morning.”

“We are being presented right now with what I believe is a false, binary choice,” she told host Audie Cornish, referring to what she called the “status quo” choice of Stevens and an upstart in El-Sayed whom McMorrow noted “has never won a campaign” before.

“I’ve got more grassroots support than my opponents combined,” added the Michigan state Senate majority whip, who has the backing of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). “We are out there every single day with our message that we don’t have to accept an either or, that we can have both.”