• In Michigan’s 2026 US Senate race, Haley Stevens raises more funds than fellow Democrats Abdul El-Sayed and Mallory McMorrow
  • Republican Mike Rogers, who is not facing a significant primary competition, has the most cash on hand
  • Out-of-state donors pumped money into the Michigan race, contributing significant amounts to the top candidates

More than a year out from Michigan’s next US Senate and House elections, millions of dollars are already flowing to candidates — much of it from out of state, reflecting national interest in several battleground races.

Federal candidates on Wednesday reported fundraising totals for the past three months, touting enthusiasm as they prepare for 2026 elections. 

Here’s what to know: 

Stevens narrowly tops Democratic US Senate fundraising

In Michigan’s closely watched US Senate race to replace retiring Democrat Gary Peters, three Democratic contenders are locked in a close fundraising battle ahead of the August 2026 primary. 

US Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham led the Democratic field by raising $1.84 million for the quarter. Abdul El-Sayed of Ann Arbor, a former public health official, was close behind with $1.77 million in donations. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow or Royal Oak raised $1.70 million.

Republican Mike Rogers of White Lake Township, the party’s 2024 nominee who is not facing significant primary opposition as he runs again, raised less than his Democratic counterparts. 

But he ended the period in a strong position with $2.7 million in cash reserves, topping all Democratic candidates, including Stevens at $2.6 million, El-Sayed at $1.8 million and McMorrow at 1.5 million. 

Rogers brought in more than $1.6 million dollars in the third quarter. About a third of that total, however, Rogers raised through a joint fundraising committee, Team Rogers, which is in turn linked to a super PAC created to support his candidacy in 2024, the Great Lakes Conservative Fund.

Earlier this year, the pro-Rogers super PAC reported $5 million in contributions from Timothy Dunn of Texas, a GOP megadonor and the CEO of CrowQuest Operating, an oil and gas firm.

Rogers also ran for Senate last year but narrowly lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin by less than one percentage point. 

Money flows from other states

Michigan’s 2026 US Senate race is again expected to be one of the most competitive in the country. Experts at the Cook Political Report consider it one of two true “toss ups” for the election cycle. 

With all eyes on the state, both Democratic and Republican candidates reported a large volume of contributions from out-of-state donors. 

Among itemized contributions, El-Sayed’s campaign reported $488,365 from Michigan donors in the third quarter, or about 36% of the money he raised from people who gave at least $200.

That was followed by Stevens at $405,775 (27%), McMorrow at $353,880 (44%) and Rogers at $212,314 (37%).

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McMorrow appears to have led the way in small-dollar donations, however. She received $901,000 from people who’ve given her $200 or less, a threshold that does not require campaigns to report where those donors reside. That was more than half her fundraising for the quarter, and her campaigns said her contributions averaged $35.

El-Sayed reported the second largest amount of smaller, unitemized donations, at around $412,000. 

McMorrow built a national fundraising presence as a state legislator, after a 2022 viral floor speech in the Michigan Capitol earned her a national profile and a deluge of donations from throughout the country.

El-Sayed and McMorrow have forsworn donations from political action committees representing corporations. Stevens accepted donations from PACs representing private equity giant BlackRock, chip maker Qualcomm and building materials manufacturer Amrize, but only took in about $106,000 in total from PACs for the quarter.

Little spending by outside groups has been reported in the race so far, but a new group called Blue Michigan PAC has spent $22,550 on text messages supporting Stevens. 

Competitive House races

In mid-Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, where US Rep. Tom Barrett won election last year by less than four percentage points, the first-term Charlotte Republican raised about $673,000 and received another $151,000 from a related joint fundraising committee. 

Democratic hopefuls looking to challenge Barrett in the swing district are also aggressively fundraising, though. 

Bridget Brink, a former ambassador to Ukraine, raised more than $600,000 in the quarter, as did Matt Maasdam, a former Navy SEAL. For both candidates the vast majority of their itemized donations came from outside the state. Another Democrat, East Lansing community organizer William Lawrence, raised about $223,000 since launching his campaign in late August. 

Brink’s contributors included liberal megadonors such as George and Alex Soros, while Maasdam received donations from U-M Regent Mark Bernstein and former US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

In the 4th Congressional District, around Kalamazoo, state Sen. Sean McCann, a Democrat who represents the city, is running to unseat GOP incumbent Bill Huizenga, who won re-election last year by about 12 points.

Their fundraising was close in the latest quarter, with McCann raising about $300,000 — roughly $25,000 less than Huizenga. Jessica Swartz, who was the 2024 Democratic nominee for the seat, raised about $93,000.

Huizenga is sitting on about $1.3 million in cash reserves in his campaign account, while McCann has less than $200,000, but the incumbent has yet to confirm whether he intends to seek reelection for a ninth term.

Over in Macomb County 10th Congressional District, candidates are lining up to try to replace Republican US Rep. John James, who is leaving his seat to run for governor. 

Among Democrats, former U.S. Commerce Department attorney Eric Chung raised about $265,000, while Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel took in about $205,000 and attorney Christina Hines reported raising $174,000.

One Republican, attorney Robert Lulgjuraj, has so far announced a campaign to succeed James, and he far out-raised the Democratic competition, reporting more than $654,000 raised in the first three months of this campaign. The vast majority of the money, at least $588,000, came from donors within Michigan.

In Detroit’s 13th Congressional District, where Democratic US Rep. Shri Thanedar is facing a notable primary challenge from state Rep. Donovan McKinney, the fundraising disparity is significant. 

Thanedar, a self-made entrepreneur, has dumped millions of his own money into his campaign and is sitting on an $8.3 million war chest.  McKinney, who raised about $220,000 in the quarter, has less than $300,000 in the bank. 

Thanedar didn’t report a single itemized donation from a Detroit resident in the past quarter, while McKinney had several thousand dollars from Detroiters, along with more than $100,000 in unitemized donations of $200 or less.

Editor’s note: This story was updated on October 16, 2025, to include money Mike Rogers raised through a joint fundraising committee.

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