In Michigan Senate race, Dems battle for bucks as Mike Rogers builds war chest

US Rep. Haley Stevens led fundraising in the Democratic primary to replace retiring US Sen. Gary Peters
A super PAC supporting GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers has a $6 million war chest
Fundraising remains close in the primaries for Michigan’s 7th and 10th congressional districts

LANSING — Democrats remain locked in a tight fundraising battle in Michigan’s closely watched US Senate race, while Republican Mike Rogers has built a cash advantage with little resistance in the GOP primary.

New campaign finance disclosures show Democrat Haley Stevens led the field in fundraising for the final quarter of 2025 — but only narrowly — in the race to replace retiring US Sen. Gary Peters.

Several congressional primaries are also heating up in some of Michigan’s most competitive districts.

Here’s what to know:

Stevens maintains Democratic fundraising lead

Rogers, a White Lake Republican, raised nearly $2 million for the quarter and ended it with the most cash on hand of any candidate in what is expected to be a fiercely contested race the Cook Political Report rates as one of four “toss-ups” nationwide.

In the Democratic primary, Stevens, at $2.1 million, was the top fundraiser. But state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed weren’t far behind, raising $1.74 and $1.77 million, respectively.

Infogram of Michigan US senate fundraising

Recent polling suggests the race for the Democratic nomination remains wide open with about six months to go until the August primary. An Emerson College survey released this week found the three candidates in a statistical tie, with a plurality of likely Democratic primary voters, 37%, still undecided.

It’s difficult to know the full breadth of a candidate’s fundraising, as the Federal Election Commission doesn’t require campaigns to itemize donations from individuals who have given less than $200 in an election cycle.

McMorrow showed the strongest grassroots fundraising support in the most recent period, with nearly 45% of her donations unitemized at less than $200. In a press release, her campaign said she’s raised nearly $2.7 million from grassroots donors so far in the campaign cycle.

McMorrow built a national fundraising presence as a state legislator after a 2022 viral floor speech in the Michigan Capitol raised her profile nationwide and Michigan, prompting a deluge of donations from throughout the country. It showed in McMorrow’s fundraising, too — her campaign brought in itemized contributions from the broadest swath of Michigan of any of the candidates.

“We’re showing up everywhere — from breweries to churches to living rooms to union halls — listening to everyone, and building an agenda, and a future, worth fighting for,” McMorrow said in a statement.

El-Sayed also garnered notable grassroots support, with about 31% of the donations to his campaign this quarter coming from individuals who’ve given him less than $200 for the election cycle.

Stevens raised less than half as much as El-Sayed or McMorrow, both from grassroots donors nationwide and from larger Michigan donors. Those itemized Michigan contributions made up roughly 10% of Stevens’ total receipts for the quarter, about $210,000. McMorrow and El-Sayed each had about 23% of their donations coming from Michiganders giving more than $200, by contrast.

“I’m honored to have the support of so many Michiganders and deeply grateful for everyone who believes in this campaign,” Stevens said in a statement. “This campaign is my love letter to Michigan. Every step of my career has been about standing up for this state when it matters most.”

The Michigan US Senate contest is garnering significant national interest, which showed in the latest fundraising reports: The majority of itemized donations to top candidates — Republican and Democrat — came from donors outside Michigan.

That proportion was particularly high for Stevens — at least 93%, nearly $1.96 million, of the money she raised in the quarter came from donors outside the Great Lakes State.

Stevens reported receiving $7,500 from Eliot Weinstein, the co-creator of Cards Against Humanity. Lynn Schusterman, a billionaire philanthropist who has given heavily to Michigan Democrats, donated $7,000. Steven Tronstein, the former longtime CEO of Garden-White Furniture, and his daughter each gave $7,000 to Stevens.

El-Sayed and McMorrow have forsworn donations from political action committees representing corporations. Stevens, meanwhile, accepted donations from PACs representing health care corporation Cigna and kidney dialysis services giant DaVita. Stevens also received $1,000 from the pro-Israel political action committee CityPAC, which has close ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.

Rogers, who narrowly lost a bid for Senate in 2024, is not facing significant opposition in this year’s Republican primary. His only primary competition, former state party co-chair Bernadette Smith, raised less than $15,000 since launching her campaign in early November.

Rogers took in nearly $2 million in the final quarter of 2025 and ended the year with the most cash on hand of any Senate candidate, roughly $3.5 million.

Rogers received contributions from political action committees representing companies such as Koch Inc., Toyota, AT&T and biotechnology firm Amgen.

His campaign also touted fundraising from a super PAC that exclusively supported him in that last election, Great Lakes Conservatives Fund. The PAC’s largest donor in the latest quarter was private equity firm Bluff Point Associates Corp., which gave $100,000. The PAC ended the quarter with nearly $6 million in the bank.

GLCF also reported receiving $86,000 from Ed Adler, a wealthy retired businessman from Clarkston who died more than a month before the donation was reported at the end of October.

Swing House districts pick up steam

Several Democrats are also battling in a competitive primary in mid-Michigan for the chance to take on Republican US Rep. Tom Barrett of Charlotte. The Cook Political Report considers the Congressional district the state’s only “toss-up” in the fall general election.

Bridget Brink, a former ambassador to Ukraine, led all Democratic candidates in the race by raising roughly $529,000 in the quarter, followed closely by former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam, who took in about $404,000. Progressive community organizer William Lawrence raised about $134,000.

Brink is sitting on more than $1 million cash on hand, well ahead of Maasdam and Lawrence. While a Michigan native, Brink’s itemized donations underscored her relatively recent return to the state after a career spent largely abroad. She received more itemized money from donors in New York, Illinois and California individually than from Michigan.

Brink received a donation from a particularly notable Michigander: Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, listing a California address, gave Brink $3,500.

There’s also significant fundraising happening in Macomb County’s 10th Congressional District, where Republican US Rep. John James is not seeking reelection as he instead runs for governor.

Six Republicans and five Democrats are running in the GOP-leaning district, where James first won election by less than 2,000 votes in 2022 – the last midterm election.

Attorney Robert Lulgjuraj, who was the first Republican to announce a bid to succeed James, raised about $350,000 for the quarter. But he was surpassed by Mike Bouchard — a former US Army captain and son of longtime Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard — who raised about $551,000. No other Republican candidate came close to matching their pace.

On the Democratic side, former US Commerce Department official Eric Chung took in about $258,000, in close contention with Pontiac mayor Tim Greimel, who raised about $253,000. Christina Hines, a former prosecutor, received $228,000 in donations, with the rest of the field far behind.

In Michigan’s 13th Congressional District in Detroit, US Rep. Shri Thanedar is facing multiple challengers in the Democratic primary, most notably state Rep. Donovan McKinney.

A self-funded candidate, Thanedar was sitting on nearly $6.4 million in the bank at the end of 2025, despite reporting losing nearly $1.9 million in funds for the quarter, which wasn’t explained in disclosures. Similar losses in the past had been attributed to investment income.

McKinney, on the other hand, raised about $264,000 and had about $389,000 in the bank. His donors included Washtenaw County prosecutor and Attorney General candidate Eli Savit, along with former Michigan Democratic Party chair Brandon Dillon.