PODCASTS:
Aug. 3, 2026 ~ Andrea Bitely, founder and principal of Bitely Communications, joins Chris Renwick to preview tomorrow’s election and discuss where we stand as election season ramps up.
Aug. 3, 2026 ~ Chris Renwick chats with John Sellek, CEO of Harbor Strategic Public Relations, about the state of key Republican races as the campaign season heats up.
MICHIGAN ~ On Tuesday, Michigan Republican and Democratic Party voters will decide which candidates will represent their parties in the general elections, including one of the nation’s most-watched races this year.
Polls for the Aug. 4 primary elections will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Michigan, with many key statewide and national seats to be decided on. Perhaps the most notable is the heated Democratic primary race between U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) and former Wayne County Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Services Director Abdul El-Sayed. Michigan’s Senate will be left vacant by outgoing Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who chose not to seek re-election this year.
Stevens has run a more politically moderate campaign, claiming that her opponent’s platform is too extreme to win a general election. El-Sayed’s campaign has been defined by his progressive policies like Medicare for All and implementing an arms embargo on Israel, criticizing his opponent for taking donations from entities like DTE and AIPAC.
The latest polls for the race show El-Sayed in the lead, with 270toWin’s poll aggregate standing at a 7.4% lead over Stevens. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the U.S. Senate race earlier this year, though her name will still be listed on the ballot.
Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers is running unapposed in the GOP primary for Michigan’s open Senate seat. Regardless of who wins the Democratic primary, the general election is expected to be competitive, with the swing state of Michigan looked at as a key race to decide which party controls the Senate starting next year.
Multiple candidates in each party are also vying to enter the general election race for Michigan’s gubernatorial seat, which will be vacated by current Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in January after serving her two terms. Republican voters will choose between U.S. Rep. John James and businessperson Perry Johnson. Polling averages show James with a strong lead in the primary, leading at 45% over Johnson’s 27%.
Democrats will choose between Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson to become their party’s gubernatorial nominee. Polls show Swanson trailing Benson by dozens of points.
As for U.S. House seats in the metro Detroit area, key races to watch include the 10th and 11th districts, where voters will vote to replace outgoing incumbents James and Stevens, who chose not to seek re-election to pursue their gubernatorial and Senate campaigns, respectively. The 10th District will be one to watch closely in November in particular, since the district leans only slightly in favor of the GOP, making it a competitive race across both parties.
Each party has three candidates to choose from, with Republicans having the option between Michael Bouchard Jr. (son of Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard), Army veteran Steffan Demetropoulos, and attorney Justin Kirk. Democrats will choose between attorney Eric Chung, former State House Minority Leader Tim Greimel, and prosecutor Christina Hines.
The Democratic primary for Michigan’s 13th District is also notable, with State Rep. Donavan McKinney positioning himself as a progressive challenger against incumbent Shri Thanedar, similar to the El-Sayed and Stevens race.
