- Immigration enforcement, housing, health care and dark money have emerged as key issues in Michigan US Senate race
- Bridge readers have also identified affordability and candidate positions on President Donald Trump as top issues
- US Sen. Gary Peters’ pending retirement has made the US Senate seat one of the most competitive in the country
In the race to replace retiring US Sen. Gary Peters, there is no shortage of big issues for the candidates to address: What is the future of health care? What to do about high costs of living? How to handle immigration enforcement?
Those and other policy questions have already emerged as key points of debate in a tight three-way Democratic primary between US Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed.
Meanwhile, former US Rep. Mike Rogers is unveiling big plans for bringing down housing costs and supporting the working class in the Republican primary he is expected to dominate — but his close alliance with President Donald Trump could complicate his second attempt to return to Washington in the general election cycle.
As part of Bridge Michigan’s 2026 election coverage, we’ve turned to readers to help us define the top issues facing Michigan.
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Thousands of Michigan residents across the state have already responded to Bridge Listens, an unscientific survey soliciting input on problems facing the state and possible solutions from candidates seeking office.
The second phase of the campaign, which seeks to pare down a list of about 30 issues to the most important ones before the Aug. 4 primary, is open through July 29.
Based on input from our readers, experts and the candidates themselves, here’s a look at some of the biggest issues expected to shape Michigan’s US Senate race, and where the major party candidates stand.
Health care
Ever-increasing insurance costs and recent federal changes affecting rural hospitals, Medicaid and previously subsidized insurance plans make health care policy a top issue to watch in 2026 — and Michigan’s US Senate candidates have widely differing views on how to bring down costs.
In the Democratic primary, Stevens is calling for expanding and protecting both the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, going beyond reversing recent cuts and expanding programs to ensure more vulnerable families can stay covered. She also said there is “more to do” on lowering prescription drug costs, calling rapidly rising costs of health care “unconscionable.”
El-Sayed has long advocated for moving beyond the Affordable Care Act to a single-payer health care plan, commonly known as “Medicare for All,” that would guarantee health care for all US residents regardless of age.
“A lot of people are going to talk about health care…but some of us have lived that life,” he told Bridge, later adding, “It has been the cause of my life.”
Critics have argued switching to a single-payer system would force tax hikes and could reduce overall access to care, citing increased wait times in other countries that have a government-run health system. Unions, too, have been wary of Medicare for All over concerns that it could impact employer-sponsored health plans negotiated in the bargaining process.
In his campaign, El-Sayed has said he supports allowing an option for workers to keep supplemental private insurance provided by unions or employers. That stance sparked criticism from McMorrow, who countered that Medicare for All would eliminate private insurance options.
Both Stevens and McMorrow have said they support a public option — a government-run health insurance plan that would compete in the market alongside private insurers, as well as protecting Medicare and Medicaid from additional funding cuts.
At least three states have rolled out some form of public option for their residents, though some researchers warn that recent federal changes could blunt the impact.
“There should be nobody in Michigan who does not have health insurance,” McMorrow said, calling the public option “the best way to get there as quickly as possible.”
Rogers opposed the creation of the Affordable Care Act while serving in Congress and more recently opposed extending an enhanced premium tax credit program for health insurance plans bought through HealthCare.gov.
In December, he suggested in a podcast interview that recent insurance rate hikes caused by the expiration of government subsidies can be tied to the original policy: “This should be an albatross around their neck.”
Economy and affordability
As ever, economic pressures are likely to be at the top of voters’ minds when they head to the polls in August and November. Costs of living in Michigan and nationally have skyrocketed in recent years, driven by inflation and economic volatility, and the job market is tight.
Michigan’s median household income lags nationally, and families here continue to weather higher costs of groceries, rent, child care and other necessary expenses.
Gas prices have risen in every state since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran last month, and Trump’s recent comments threatening to delay opening of the new US-Canada border crossing at the Gordie Howe Bridge in Detroit has prompted additional concerns about relations with Michigan’s largest international trade partner.
A longtime proponent of Michigan manufacturing, Stevens has been a staunch critic of Trump’s tariff policies, arguing the president’s strategy has contributed to higher prices and damaged the state’s manufacturing sector. She introduced a “No Tariffs on Groceries” bill aimed at blunting the impact of rising food prices.
“Manufacturing is always going to be a key part of our economy, and yet, because of these reckless tariffs…we’re on shaky ground,” she said, crediting the administration’s policies with “more chaos” and job insecurity.
Her economic policy agenda includes additional investments in manufacturing and infrastructure and greater access to job training for underserved communities.
For El-Sayed, cost of living issues can frequently be traced back to health care, but he also argues that for many Michigan residents, “life has become deeply unaffordable because corporations have rigged our system to make it harder for you to afford your life.”
He’s calling for increased support of union membership, more investment in research and development, stronger enforcement of anti-monopoly laws, elimination of corporate tax breaks and a “steady, thoughtful and targeted” approach to tariffs to protect US manufacturing jobs.
McMorrow similarly supports requiring large corporations and the wealthiest US residents to “pay their fair share in taxes” and is calling for tax credits and subsidies to assist small- and medium-sized businesses.
She’s advocating for increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and tying it to the rate of inflation moving forward, as well as expanding the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, increasing access to affordable child care and taking Michigan’s KidsRx program — which gives cash grants to new moms — nationwide.
Citing Trump’s recent advocacy for the so-called “baby bonus” and other efforts to boost the population, McMorrow said she would “love to come to Washington and say, ‘Hey, we actually have a way that we’ve done this…let’s bring the best of what Michigan has done to the rest of the country.”
On the Republican side, Rogers is advocating for tax cuts for working families and recently launched a “Let’s Get to Work!” series highlighting worker experiences across the state.
Immigration
The Trump administration’s aggressive immigrant deportation tactics — including the January killings of two US citizens by Border Patrol agents in Minnesota — prompted calls for reform by all three of Michigan’s Democratic US Senate candidates, though their approaches differ.
Tensions over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity continue to escalate in Michigan as the agency readies plans to build a new immigrant detention center in metro Detroit. The project is opposed by local officials and many prominent Democrats, including Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, and has sparked several local protests.
ICE arrested 2,349 people in Michigan from January through October 2025, nearly triple the number arrested in the state in the same timeframe in 2024, according to ICE data provided to the Deportation Data Project through Freedom of Information Act requests.
ICE had detained 3,338 people in Michigan — most of them at the North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin, which reopened as a detention center in June 2025 — last year through October, nearly triple the number detained in the same timeframe in 2024. Most came from Mexico.
El-Sayed, who visited Minnesota in January as anti-ICE protests escalated, wants to abolish the agency entirely, arguing ICE agents are being deployed as a “paramilitary force” and that retraining or reforming won’t address the issues.
“There’s a role for immigration enforcement, but this is not that,” he told Bridge.
Responding to the proposed Romulus facility, El-Sayed said in a statement that ICE “needs to get the hell out of Michigan.”
Stevens and McMorrow haven’t gone that far, calling for accountability and reform instead. McMorrow is backing efforts to require ICE officers to wear uniforms, clear identification and masks, and both candidates want to redirect the recent influx of federal funding for immigration enforcement.
Prior to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s firing, Stevens co-sponsored articles of impeachment against her, citing Noem’s refusal to answer questions to Congress about Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, the killing of an unarmed protester and a rise in deaths in ICE detention facilities, including the death of a detainee who died at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan.
Rogers, a former FBI agent, has defended Trump’s immigration strategy and is critical of ongoing congressional debate over funding the Department of Homeland Security. In recent comments to Fox News, he said that keeping the agency fully funded is vital to national security.
“This is no time to play politics with people’s safety,” he told the outlet.
Housing
One issue all four major candidates agree on, at least in theory: bringing down housing costs, and making homeownership a more attainable option for young people.
In February, Rogers announced a sweeping housing plan that would allow tax-free withdrawals from 529 college savings plans for first-time homebuyer down payments, a rollback of housing-related regulations and new incentives for homebuilders.
On the Democratic side, McMorrow is also calling for removing regulatory red tape to boost housing construction, as well as federal incentives for mixed-income developments. McMorrow also supports reviving existing housing stock as a more affordable option to tearing down old homes to make room for new, higher-priced units.
Stevens’ platform includes increasing the housing supply and supporting housing options for low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities.
In addition to advocating for a “building boom” of new, affordable housing across the country, El-Sayed has promised to stand up to corporations, hedge funds and speculators driving up the cost of housing, as well as landlords who unfairly evict tenants.
Campaign cash
Who wins the Democratic primary could come down to a battle for bucks. Where their campaign cash comes from has been a point of contention.
The latest campaign finance records from late 2025 show Stevens, at $2.1 million, was the top fundraiser. But McMorrow and El-Sayed weren’t far behind, raising $1.74 and $1.77 million, respectively.
El-Sayed and McMorrow have forsworn donations from political action committees representing corporations. McMorrow accepted corporate donations in past state legislative cycles, but opted not to do so in her US Senate campaign.
Stevens accepted donations from PACs representing health care corporation Cigna and kidney dialysis services giant DaVita last quarter.
Stevens told Bridge she’s repeatedly sponsored and voted for campaign finance reform legislation, calling it “deeply frustrating” that Senate Republicans have blocked those efforts. She added that she’s “not afraid to stand up to corporations,” citing past legislation she supported to hold utilities accountable for raising rates.
Stevens also received $1,000 from the pro-Israel political action committee CityPAC in the last quarter, which has close ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.
Stevens’ past ties to the AIPAC — which was heavily involved in her 2022 primary against then-Rep. Andy Levin — has been a point of contention among some progressive Democrats, who view the group as a threat to progressives critical of Israel.
McMorrow also faced questions about her stance last year after reports surfaced that she’d had conversations with the AIPAC, though she later said she wouldn’t accept money or seek the group’s endorsement.
McMorrow showed the strongest grassroots fundraising support in the most recent period, with nearly 45% of her donations unitemized at less than $200. El-Sayed also garnered notable grassroots support, with about 31% of the donations to his campaign this quarter coming from individuals who’ve given him less than $200.
Rogers, meanwhile, raised nearly $2 million in the final quarter of 2025 and ended the year with the most cash on hand of any Senate candidate, roughly $3.5 million.
He received contributions from political action committees representing companies like Koch Inc., Toyota, AT&T and biotechnology firm Amgen, as well as sizable fundraising from the Great Lakes Conservatives Fund super PAC.
Other declared candidates, including Republicans Genevieve Peters Scott and Bernadette Smith and Democrat Rachel Howard, had raised less than $60,000 each through the latest reporting period.
The Trump factor
Observers both in-state and nationally are closely watching how the public’s views of President Donald Trump and his second-term policy agenda will impact the US Senate race.
As in his 2024 campaign, Rogers is closely aligning himself with Trump, vowing to “stand with” Trump and deliver on what Rogers called “a mandate given to him by the American people.”
All three Democratic candidates have been critical of Trump’s policy agenda, vowing to do what they could if elected to the Senate to challenge his most controversial actions and look to the future.
“There is a life after Donald Trump, and it will happen sooner than we think,” McMorrow told Bridge. “We have to point out, here are all the things that he is doing to hurt the country, but here’s how we build something better, not just go back to the way that things were.”
Rogers lost in 2024 by just over 19,000 votes, underperforming Trump in Michigan by about 123,000 votes. But without Trump at the top of the ticket, and in a political climate less favorable to the party in power, that close alliance could be a tougher sell.
“It is very, very difficult to replicate that Trump coalition when the president is not on the ballot and those voters undervoted for (Rogers) already,” said Jessica Taylor, US Senate and Governors editor for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
This election cycle differs for Rogers in that he isn’t facing much competition in the primary, meaning he’s been able to consolidate Republican support and turn his attention to the general election sooner.
That puts Democrats on defense in a state that’s gone blue in US Senate races for decades, and a competitive primary dragging through the summer could leave the eventual Democratic nominee vulnerable to a seasoned campaigner like Rogers, Taylor said.
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