Greater Rochester area voters cast ballots Tuesday, Aug. 4, in Michigan's Democratic U.S. Senate primary, a race that has drawn national attention and more than $60 million in outside spending as a test of the party's direction.

The contest pits Rep. Haley Stevens, a four-term congresswoman who has represented Michigan's 11th District since 2019, against Abdul El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit and Wayne County health director who previously ran for governor in 2018.

Polls closes at 8 p.m.

Local voting details

Oakland Township and Rochester Hills voters who did not cast early ballots at the Rochester Hills Public Library, 500 Olde Towne Road, during the nine-day early voting window that ended Sunday, Aug. 2, could vote at their assigned precinct through 8 p.m., according to The Oakland Press.

State Sen. Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the Democratic Senate race in early July but remained on the ballot.

What's at stake

The seat opened when Democratic Sen. Gary Peters announced his retirement. Democrats need to net four Senate seats to reclaim the majority, making Michigan a must-hold, according to WCMU's election analysis.

The winner will face Republican Mike Rogers in November. Rogers ran unopposed in the GOP primary and lost to Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024 by fewer than 20,000 votes.

The candidates

Stevens has drawn endorsements from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, retiring Sen. Peters and former Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Her campaign benefited from more than $60 million in outside spending, including over $30 million from the main AIPAC-affiliated super PAC, according to The Guardian.

El-Sayed has been endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Recent polls showed him leading by an average of 8 percentage points, Reuters reported, though a Detroit News survey in early July had Stevens up by 7 points.

The race became a proxy battle over U.S. policy toward Israel. El-Sayed has called for ending unconditional military aid to Israel. Stevens has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while defending her independence from donors, saying during a July 27 debate at Fox 2 Studios in Southfield that no one owns her vote or her policies and that contributors support her because of her record fighting for Michigan.

Looking ahead

Both candidates signaled a desire for party unity ahead of the general election. El-Sayed told reporters in Detroit on Monday, Aug. 3: "The goal now is not to dunk on anybody. The goal now is to come together so we can all collectively dunk on Mike Rogers."

Results are expected after polls close at 8 p.m.