Michigan voters went to the polls Tuesday to select party nominees for the U.S. Senate, governor, U.S. House and state legislature, setting up a November election that could help decide control of both the Senate and the governor’s office. As of this report, several marquee races remain uncalled while county election officials continue processing ballots.
The Associated Press, which is providing vote counts and race calls for Michigan, does not project a winner until it determines there is no realistic path for a trailing candidate to close the gap. That standard means close races, particularly the Democratic Senate primary, may take hours or longer to resolve.
When Michigan’s Polls Closed
Polls closed at 8 p.m. Eastern in most of the state Tuesday. A small number of precincts in the Upper Peninsula, which sits in the Central time zone, closed at 9 p.m. Eastern. Michigan does not register voters by party, and any eligible voter could participate in either party’s primary.
More than 1 million ballots had already been cast before Election Day through early in-person voting and mail ballots, according to the Michigan Department of State. State officials reported that early voting turnout for this primary ran well ahead of 2024 totals.
The Senate Primary: Stevens and El-Sayed
The most closely watched contest on the ballot is the Democratic primary to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters. U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, who has the backing of much of the state’s Democratic establishment including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, former Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, faced physician and former Wayne County health official Abdul El-Sayed.
El-Sayed built his campaign around Medicare for All and campaign finance reform, and drew endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Stevens benefited from more than $30 million in outside spending from the United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which opposed El-Sayed’s candidacy over his criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow suspended her campaign in July but remained on the ballot Tuesday, and both remaining candidates spent the final stretch courting her former supporters.
Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will face former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who ran unopposed for the Republican nomination. Rogers lost narrowly to Sen. Elissa Slotkin in the state’s other Senate race in 2024, a contest decided by roughly three-tenths of a percentage point.
As of this report, the primary has not been called.
The Governor’s Race: Benson, Swanson, James and Johnson
With Whitmer term-limited, Michigan’s governorship is also open. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson faced Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson in the Democratic primary. On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. John James, who received President Trump’s endorsement, faced businessman Perry Johnson, a repeat statewide candidate.
Neither gubernatorial primary had been called as of this report.
Key U.S. House Primaries
Several U.S. House primaries carried added stakes because control of the chamber is at play in November.
In the 7th District, which includes Lansing, three Democrats competed for the right to challenge Republican Rep. Tom Barrett: former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, community organizer William Lawrence and former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam.
The 10th District, vacated by James to run for governor, and the 11th District, vacated by Stevens to run for Senate, both had competitive open primaries in both parties.
In the 13th District, anchored by Detroit, Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar faced a primary challenge from state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who had the backing of El-Sayed, Sanders and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist.
How Michigan Counts Its Votes
Michigan’s most populous counties, including Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent, Genesee and Washtenaw, historically report relatively few results in the first vote updates of the night, meaning early returns can shift substantially once those areas report more fully.
In the 2024 Democratic Senate primary, for comparison, the AP had counted roughly half the statewide vote by just after midnight Eastern and about 95% by 4 a.m. Similar timing is possible this year given the volume of early and absentee ballots.
What Happens Next
Michigan law triggers an automatic recount in statewide races only if the margin is 0.1 percentage points or less. Outside that threshold, a candidate may request and pay for a recount if they can show a good-faith belief that a counting error affected the outcome.
Results are not final until certified by county and state election boards, a process that typically takes several weeks. GlobalDesk.News will update this report as additional results are confirmed and as races are officially called.
