U.S. SENATE DEM FIELD
Among a larger field of possible contenders, here’s the current gossip about the possible Democrats looking at a run for the open Senate seat. The list includes Pete Buttigieg, former presidential candidate and then Transportation Secretary in the Biden administration, who moved to Michigan in 2022, which could be an issue in the race regardless of high name recognition. The name of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is being floated but recent polls show her considerably behind Buttigieg. Also in the mix is the name of Michigan Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak, Birmingham) who has grown her state and national recognition, especially after addressing the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Then there is Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-Oakland County) who says she is seriously looking at a run after ruling it out in the 2024 Senate race. One political insider offered that Stevens would be better off remaining in the House where she could have the post for life in the Democrat-leaning district that includes most of Oakland County, giving her a powerful position in that chamber. Although she has recently stepped up her social media presence and appearances on national television, one prognosticator said she will have to make up considerable ground in the next year to be ready for a state-wide race. Congresswoman Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids is also considering a run. A name that has recently been thrown in the mix is former Wayne County Health Department Director and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Not much to report on the campaign cash front given that no one has filed a formal campaign committee, although Stevens has about $754,000 cash on hand in an existing committee; the same with Scholten with $346,000 on hand; Buttigieg transferred about $1.4 million from his presidential run to an ERA PAC; and both McMorrow and Nessel are considered prodigious fundraisers.
