Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens is the latest entrant into the open Senate race in Michigan.
The fourth-term congresswoman on Tuesday joined a growing field of candidates looking to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters in the pivotal swing state. Stevens is the third high-profile Democrat to launch a bid, with a competitive primary already taking shape.
In a biographical video accompanying her announcement, Stevens touts her upbringing in Michigan, as well as her work in the Obama administration as chief of staff for the program that provided rescue funds to the auto industry, a theme that’s likely to be a throughline of her campaign.
“I always knew I wanted to spend my life fighting for Michigan. And when the Great Recession hit and the American car industry faced extinction, I wanted to step up and do something for my state,” she says.
Stevens currently represents Michigan’s 11th District, anchored in Oakland County in the Detroit area and home to automakers and suppliers. Unsurprisingly, her campaign announcement focused on the effect of President Donald Trump’s trade policies on Michigan’s best-known industries.
“His chaos and reckless tariffs are putting tens of thousands of Michigan jobs at risk. Donald Trump says he ‘couldn’t care less’ if auto prices rise,” Stevens says in the video. “Well, as someone who spent my time in Congress fighting for Michigan jobs, Michigan families, and Michigan workers, I couldn’t care more.”
Stevens first came to Congress after the 2018 elections, flipping what was then a Republican-held swing seat. When the state’s congressional map was redrawn ahead of the 2022 elections, the seat became safer for Democrats. Stevens defeated fellow Rep. Andy Levin, a scion of the famed Michigan political family, in a hard-fought Democratic primary that year and has been easily reelected since.
With her win, Stevens became the first woman to represent her district in the House, where she currently serves on the Education and Workforce and the Science, Space and Technology committees, as well as the select panel on the Chinese Communist Party.
Stevens was named chair of the campaign arm of the center-left New Democrat Coalition for the 2026 election cycle and is considered a strong fundraiser. She had $1.7 million in her House campaign account at the end of March, according to Federal Election Commission filings, which she would be able to transfer to her Senate campaign.
Senate Democrats currently face a difficult map in their quest to flip the chamber next year. They’re defending three open seats, including Michigan, in races that Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates as battlegrounds and would need to make gains in GOP-leaning states to win the majority.
Stevens’ announcement comes after former Wayne County health director Abdul El-Sayed joined the race last week, with the endorsement of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow was the first major Democrat to enter the primary, doing so earlier this month after vowing not to support Charles E. Schumer for Senate Democratic leader if she’s elected.
On the Republican side, former House Intelligence Chair Mike Rogers, who lost a race for the state’s other Senate seat last year, announced a run last week. He quickly locked up endorsements from Senate Majority Leader John Thune and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott. GOP Rep. Bill Huizenga is also weighing a bid, saying last week that he was “encouraged by the outreach and calls I have received both before and after the Senate Leadership’s announcement.”
Stevens’ decision to run for Senate will open up her Democratic-leaning district, where voters reelected her by 19 points last year.
State Sen. Jeremy Moss said in a statement Tuesday that he would be having conversations in the coming days about a potential run. Levin has also been mentioned as a potential candidate, although he could also seek the open 10th District being vacated by GOP Rep. John James, who is running to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
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