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Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., attacked Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., on Friday, saying Michigan's Democratic Senate primary is not about her but about whether the “billionaire class” can stop progressive Abdul El-Sayed.
Sanders delivered the comments at a campaign rally in Detroit on Friday alongside El-Sayed, who will face Stevens in the Aug. 4 primary.
“With all due respect to Haley Stevens, everyone knows this is not an election between her and Abdul,” Sanders said. “This is a choice between Abdul and the billionaire class. That's what this election is about.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at Mumford High School on May 3, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
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Sanders said wealthy donors and outside groups have poured unprecedented sums into the race to defeat El-Sayed, whom he has endorsed as one of the leading progressive candidates running for the Senate this cycle.
“The billionaire class, who has already spent $50 million against him, and the election is two weeks away,” Sanders said. “Now I want everyone here across the state, people who turn on their televisions and watch all these ads, I want them to ask themselves one simple question: Why are the richest people in the country spending tens and tens of millions of dollars to defeat Abdul El-Sayed?”
Sanders claimed that outside groups have outspent El-Sayed's campaign by a 12-to-1 margin, portraying the avalanche of spending as evidence that powerful interests view the progressive candidate as a threat. According to AdImpact, super PACs backing Stevens are spending about $26.9 million on television ads over the final five weeks of the primary, compared to about $2.1 million backing El-Sayed.
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Michigan U.S. senatorial candidate Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., speaks to the media after a debate at the WoodTV studios on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (AP Photo/Kristen Norman)
The Michigan Senate primary has become one of the most watched Democratic contests of the 2026 cycle, highlighting the growing divide between the progressive wing and the party establishment. El-Sayed has received endorsements from Sanders and other prominent progressives, while Stevens has the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and recently received the endorsement of outgoing Sen. Gary Peters.
Stevens has represented Michigan's 11th Congressional District since 2019 after serving on the Obama administration's auto industry task force.
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The congresswoman has attracted attention on the campaign trail in recent days after a pair of bizarre speeches went viral online. In a viral clip, Stevens was mocked online when critics compared his animated campaign speech to a classic “Saturday Night Live” sketch featuring Chris Farley's “riverside van” character.
Outgoing Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., abandoned his neutrality in the high-stakes Michigan Senate Democratic primary, endorsing U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, pictured left, as party leaders unite to prevent his progressive rival Abdul El-Sayed, pictured right, from winning the nomination. (AP Photo/Kristen Norman)
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The viral moment also brought renewed attention to a 2020 House speech in which Stevens, wearing pink latex gloves during the COVID-19 pandemic, continued speaking after her allotted time expired as the speaker pro tempore repeatedly declared her “out of order” and banged the gavel.
The Senate race tightened after state Sen. Mallory McMorrow ended her campaign earlier this month, leaving Stevens and El-Sayed in a head-to-head race that many Democrats view as a proxy battle over the future direction of the party. The winner is expected to face Republican Mike Rogers in November.
