With only a quarter of Michiganders identifying as Democrats, Sen. Gary Peters endorses moderate Haley Stevens ahead of the Democratic Senate primary, attesting to her electability in a competitive Senate race.
Ahead of his retirement, Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan endorsed fellow Oakland County lawmaker Rep. Haley Stevens in the state’s Democratic Senate primary. Stevens faces public health official and progressive Abdul El-Sayed, whom some Democrats worry could alienate moderate voters in the general election.
Peters told the Detroit News that the moderate congresswoman is an experienced candidate and “proven commodity,” whose background and record give her the best chance of beating presumptive Republican nominee Mike Rogers in the battleground state’s general election.
Michigan Residents’ Partisan Breakdown
As of 2025, more than one-third of Michiganders identify as Republican (36%), with 25% identifying as independents and the same percentage identifying as Democrats (25%).
With Democrats making up just one-quarter of Michigan’s electorate and six in ten voters identifying as Republican or independent, Peters argues that moderate Haley Stevens is more likely to build the cross-partisan support needed to win in the November general election. Though there have been shifts in political affiliation since 2022, they are not statistically significant.
