Who Detroiters are voting for in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary race
With around 1.8 million residents and the state's largest Black and Arab populations, Wayne County stands to serve as a unique representation of voter sentiment across Michigan ahead of the Aug. 4 primaries.
"It's a huge, complicated place that's densely packed. It's rich, but it has poverty. It has well-educated pockets, and not well-educated pockets," said Dante Chinni, Michigan State University journalism professor and director of the American Communities Project. "The difference between, say, Dearborn and Detroit and Livonia — these are really different places."
The county's title of having the highest percentage of Democratic votes was taken by Washtenaw County in 2016. In 2024, Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, performed particularly poorly in Wayne, having been the only Democrat to win by less than 30% since 1988. Political analysts attribute this in part to the number of Arab American voters in Dearborn feeling dissatisfied with the Biden Administration's handling of the war in Gaza.
Wayne County comprises Detroit — a major urban city — but also inner-ring suburbs such as Plymouth and Canton, as well as Dearborn, the first Arab-majority city in the U.S., laying the groundwork for a diverse spectrum of voter demographics.
"Detroit is strongly majority Black, and you would expect Stevens to do quite well there," Chinni said. "Dearborn, probably going to lean towards El-Sayed, I would expect. Livonia is complicated. I don't know the way those voters are going to go."
In the Democratic race for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, left-wing populist candidate Abdul El-Sayed is running against U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, who is perceived as the more moderate establishment choice.
Stevens served as Chief of Staff for the Obama administration's Auto Rescue Task Force and has used a 2018 clip of former President Obama praising her work in many of her television ads, although Obama has not endorsed either of the candidates.
"Barack Obama — he's a beloved figure for many people in America, particularly African Americans," Chinni said. "That should help her, you would think, in Detroit," Chinni said.
Detroit resident Janice Williams told CBS News Detroit she voted early primarily because she was interested in the Wayne County Public Transportation Millage. Although she said she didn't know much about the candidates for the Senate, she will likely vote for Stevens based on what she's heard about her work with Obama.
"That's what I've heard, the clip she chose with Barack Obama. That motivated me enough," Williams said.
Such messaging could carry significant influence with General Motors and Ford, both being based in Wayne County. Conversely, El-Sayed's messaging against the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and refusal of corporate PAC money has compelled voters.
Detroit resident Mackenzie Francisco told CBS News Detroit she voted early for El-Sayed for such reasons.
"Even though people might think that Haley Stevens is maybe more electable in the general election, right now I want to vote for the issues, and the candidate that I think resonates with those the most strongly, so that's why I voted for Abdul today," Francisco said.
El-Sayed, a vocal critic of Israel, has called attention to Stevens' campaign contributions from political action committees affiliated with AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobbying group that has allegedly spent more than $30 million on her campaign. In contrast, El-Sayed does not accept any corporate PAC money.
James Johnson, another Detroit resident, told us he was voting early for El-Sayed because he hopes to see politicians who don't promote the status quo.
"I'm a huge Abdul fan," Johnson said. "He's for money out of politics, he stands with the Palestinian people, against genocide, he wants to take on DTE and that side of money in politics where we have all this power for power companies instead of for the people."
Detroit resident Teeahnah Addison told CBS News Detroit that even though many of her family members might support Stevens, she voted for El-Sayed because of his opponent's acceptance of donations from DTE.
"A big issue for Haley was that initially she said that she didn't receive any money from DTE, and then knowing that we can go see — it was there," Addison said. "I appreciate her advocating for both of the candidates to be very transparent about their financials, but you gon' lie? Girl, don't do that."
As to how much this points to a big change in the Democratic party's broader direction, Chinni said midterm election results aren't the best conduits of meaning.
"Midterm years are strange, and a lot of its candidate-driven at the primary level," Chinni said. "When you get to the presidential year, and there's basically the same conversation happening across the country, then you start to see this stuff. … It would be significant for El-Sayed to be nominated. Do I think it means everything's changing? No, let's talk again in two years."