Retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) has a warning for the three Democrats fighting to replace him in Michigan’s marquee Senate race: Keep it civil.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Peters expressed concern that the candidates are getting increasingly “chippy” with one another as the primary draws closer.
The race has already exposed many of the dividing lines in Democratic politics as Abdul El Sayed, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), steers the primary left. Sayed is competing against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), seen as the establishment pick in the primary, and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who is courting both progressive and traditional Democrats.
With no clear front-runner three months out from the primary, Peters is advising Democrats not to resort to low blows to gain momentum.
“Primaries aren’t necessarily bad,” said Peters. “I mean, it’s an opportunity for folks to get to be known in the state, particularly if they aren’t already known statewide.”
“Our hope is that it just doesn’t get too acrimonious,” he added. “And unfortunately, a lot of primaries, especially if they’re close, get a little chippy at the end. And I’m encouraging everyone to try to avoid that, but it’s not easy.”
The latest flash of bitterness came Wednesday, when McMorrow chided former Sen. Debbie Stabenow for supporting Stevens and suggested her endorsement was orchestrated by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) because he is “feeling threatened.”
Stevens has declined to say if she supports Schumer today, but his perceived support for her has become part of a larger, anti-establishment critique from her opponents.
At other times, the candidates have sparred over the influence of pro-Israel lobbying groups on the Senate race and Sayed’s embrace of controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker as a campaign surrogate.
So far, none of the Democrats has been able to pull ahead in polling, despite multiple debates and a steady drip of opposition research. Both Peters and his Michigan colleague, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), are planning to stay neutral in the race.
Peters had a relatively clear runway the two times he successfully ran for Senate, in 2014 and 2020. But as the former chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, he’s well aware of how contested primaries drain candidate resources and leave the eventual nominee bruised entering a general election.
That challenge is especially problematic for Senate leadership in Michigan, where the primary won’t be held until August, relatively late in the election cycle. The timing is one reason why Republicans were so eager to clear the field for former Rep. Mike Rogers, who lost narrowly to Slotkin in 2024 after a contested primary.
“That’s a structural problem with Michigan,” Peters said of the primary date. “I’d love to have an earlier primary in Michigan.”
“Because it’s tough for the person who emerges to be able to do what they all have to do before the general election,” he added.
Democrats have all the electoral advantages that come with running in a midterm year with Republicans in full control of Washington. The war in Iran and its impact on energy costs have also become a liability for the GOP.
For that reason, Peters expressed cautious optimism that Democrats could retake the Senate this fall — a task that would require them to hold blue seats such as Michigan and flip four others in GOP territory.
“I wouldn’t have been as optimistic six months ago as I am now, looking at the dynamics,” Peters said.
“I’m fairly confident there’s going to be wind in our sails. I still don’t know how strong that wind is. Right now, I think it’s pretty good … but we still got a lot of time,” he added.
Republicans, for their part, readily acknowledge the headwinds could hurt them in November, but they are viewing Michigan as a realistic pickup opportunity after Rogers lost to Slotkin by a mere 19,000 votes in 2024.
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Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), who ran Senate Republicans’ campaign arm last cycle, cited the Democratic infighting this cycle in handicapping their chances in November.
“The Democrats have got a mess on their hands in Michigan,” Daines told the Washington Examiner. “And I realize this environment in a midterm is always more difficult than in a presidential, but I think it bodes well for our chances to pick that seat up.”