Mike Rogers

Republicans are also making plans to reach out to Black church and community leaders who backed Stevens in what became one of the most toxic and expensive Democratic primaries this year.

El-Sayed drew criticism earlier this year for issuing a statement after a thwarted terrorist attack at a Michigan synagogue condemning the attempt while linking it to Israel’s military action in Lebanon, saying “hurt people hurt people.” Republicans are also hammering him for campaigning with far-left twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who has a history of controversial comments.

If El-Sayed and Democrats can’t coax enough Stevens and other voters back into the fold, Democrats in the state privately acknowledge they will lose the seat in November. El-Sayed won his Tuesday primary narrowly, and struggled with many Black voters and Jewish voters across the state. Rogers ’ advisers say they’re already getting an organic outpouring of interest from traditionally Democratic-leaning Jewish voters and independents.

Bobby Schostak , a former Michigan Republican Party chair who helps fundraise for Rogers’ campaign, said he’s heard from Jewish community leaders and has in turn been helping to reach out to “traditionally non-Republican voters who are members of the Jewish and Christian community” to plan potential fundraisers and events with Rogers. He declined to say who was involved in the potential events. Dennis Bernard , a prominent Jewish Michigan activist who supported both Stevens and Rogers in their primaries, also said there are early-stage event plans to help Rogers, adding that “there is a tremendous amount of outreach” from Rogers ’ campaign and allies to Jewish leaders.

Democratic leaders in Michigan know they have little time to repair relationships following a brutal primary in which El-Sayed depicted Stevens as a corporate-backed stooge and Stevens painted El-Sayed as a publicity-hound.

Michigan Democratic leaders attempted their biggest show of unity Thursday at their annual post-primary breakfast in the Detroit suburbs. Stevens and El-Sayed even hugged onstage at the event. El-Sayed and the Democratic statewide ticket, along with party leaders, will also hold a rally Friday night in Detroit.

Not everyone who attended the breakfast was sold.

Michigan state Rep. Noah Arbit , who founded the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus and endorsed Stevens in the primary, said in an interview he spoke briefly with El-Sayed at the unity breakfast. Arbit said El-Sayed expressed an interest in a more substantial conversation in the future.

“I hope to have the opportunity to meet with Abdul El-Sayed and communicate my deep concerns about some of the rhetoric of his campaign and the impact it has had on the Jewish community he hopes to represent,” Arbit said.

The Thursday event served as the first major step for Michigan’s Democratic Party leaders to coalesce around El-Sayed. It included remarks from Sen. Elissa Slotkin urging Democrats to unite to defeat Rogers and push back on Trump , according to three people in the room, granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door event.

Slotkin , who defeated Rogers in 2024 and stayed neutral in this primary, quickly endorsed El-Sayed after he won. Democrats expect her to appear with him on the campaign trail, likely during the Senate’s August recess.

After the breakfast, Michigan’s Democratic Party leaders, Slotkin , Gov. Gretchen Whitmer , Rep. Debbie Dingell , El-Sayed and key Democratic nominees issued a statement about the new statewide ticket, saying that “Michigan Democrats are fired up and focused on one thing this November: making life more affordable for every family in this state.”

But a number of key Michigan House Democrats — including Stevens herself as well as Rep. Hillary Scholten , a close Stevens ally who has harshly criticized El-Sayed and did not endorse him in a statement after he won — were not listed on the joint statement.

El-Sayed has already reached out to at least one potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore , who is the only Black governor in the U.S. and could help him shore up support among Black voters. A third party put him in touch with Moore on Thursday morning, according to two people familiar with the conversation, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. Those early conversations are expected to eventually turn to asking Moore to campaign in Michigan, according to one person familiar with the matter. Moore campaigned alongside Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson , the state’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, in June, but stayed out of the primary. A spokesperson for Moore didn’t respond to an inquiry.

The outreach comes as El-Sayed attempts to win back Black voters, a critical Democratic voting bloc that predominantly backed Stevens .

In the Senate, Democratic Party leaders are also trying to navigate the fallout of the race, in which Minority Leader Chuck Schumer quietly backed Stevens over El-Sayed.

Schumer and DSCC Chair Kirsten Gillibrand both spoke with El-Sayed Wednesday after his win, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. Gillibrand also donated the maximum amount to El-Sayed’s campaign after his primary win and expressed DSCC support as he turns to the massive challenge of facing the well-funded Rogers.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), former Vice President Kamala Harris , former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani also spoke with El-Sayed shortly after his win.

But some other Senate Democrats, including several weighing 2028 presidential runs, are wary of jumping in too quickly, according to four Democrats involved in the conversations and granted anonymity to discuss the private talks.

Their biggest concern: getting caught up in Rogers ’ sharpening attacks that he’s campaigning against someone who believes America deserved 9/11. That’s a reference to comments made by Piker in 2019, when he said that “America deserved 9/11,” though he later apologized for the remark and said it was “inappropriate.”

Jewish voters comprise less than 2 percent of the state’s electorate — a small but significant slice that could have outsized influence in what’s likely to be a close contest this fall. In Michigan, roughly 61 percent of Jewish voters identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, compared with 65 percent of Jewish voters nationwide, according to a 2021 analysis from Brandeis’ Steinhardt Social Research Institute. Stevens beat El-Sayed two-to-one in several Jewish population centers across the state. In West Bloomfield, the site of the spring synagogue attack, Stevens won 66 percent of the vote compared to less than 32 percent for El-Sayed.

Andy Schor , the mayor of Lansing, Michigan and one of the highest-ranking Jewish Democratic elected officials in the state, said El-Sayed risks losing Jewish support to Rogers if he keeps attacking Israel.

“They might vote for Rogers ,” Schor said of Jewish voters. “I think there are some in the Jewish community who might cross over.”