Federal race · November 3, 2026

U.S. Senator

U.S. senators represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate, voting on federal legislation and budgets, confirming presidential nominees, and ratifying treaties.

6-year term. Open seat: no incumbent is running. Regular election for the full six-year term beginning Jan. 3, 2027. Incumbent Sen. Gary Peters (D) did not seek a third term. Abdul El-Sayed won the Aug. 4, 2026 Democratic primary with about 48.5% of the vote over U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens; state Sen. Mallory McMorrow withdrew in July but remained on the primary ballot. Mike Rogers was the only candidate on the Republican primary ballot. Six candidates are printed on the general election ballot.

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name.

  • Lydia Christensen

    CEO, IronFortress LLC
    Libertarian

    Christensen is the Libertarian nominee, chosen at the party's June 28, 2026 convention. She describes herself as a computer scientist who started her own company and as a transgender candidate. Her campaign focuses on constitutional and digital rights, protecting national forests and renewable energy, and a "Medicaid for all" health plan.

  • Abdul El-Sayed

    Former Director and Health Officer, Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services
    Democratic

    El-Sayed is a physician and epidemiologist who led the Detroit Health Department and later Wayne County's health, human and veterans services department. He ran for governor in 2018 and won the 2026 Democratic Senate primary. His campaign centers on three priorities: getting corporate money out of politics, lowering costs for working families, and passing Medicare for All.

  • Natural Law

    Kristy is the Natural Law Party nominee for U.S. Senate. No biography or campaign platform was found in the sources reviewed.

  • U.S. Taxpayers

    Long is the U.S. Taxpayers Party nominee, chosen at the party's July 18, 2026 convention. He was the party's candidate for Wayne County Commission District 14 in 2024. No campaign platform was found in the sources reviewed.

  • Green

    Marsh is a community journalist and volunteer firefighter who was also the Green Party's Senate nominee in 2024. He was nominated at the Green Party convention on Feb. 21, 2026. His campaign calls for affordable health care for everyone, ending what he calls illegal wars, and housing reforms, and he says he accepts no PAC money.

  • Mike Rogers

    Former U.S. Representative (Michigan's 8th District, 2001–2015)
    Republican

    Rogers is a former Army officer and FBI special agent who served in the Michigan Senate and then 14 years in the U.S. House, where he chaired the House Intelligence Committee. He was the Republican Senate nominee in 2024, narrowly losing to Elissa Slotkin, and was unopposed in the 2026 Republican primary. His campaign emphasizes manufacturing jobs, lowering costs, health care price transparency and a housing plan.

Compare on the issues

Summaries of each candidate's stated positions. See each profile for sources and details.

Candidate positions by issue for U.S. Senator
IssueLydia Christensen
Libertarian
Abdul El-Sayed
Democratic
Walter Kristy
Natural Law
Timothy Long
U.S. Taxpayers
Douglas P. Marsh
Green
Mike Rogers
Republican
Energy & Environment

Supports preserving national forests and transitioning to clean renewable energy.

Supports a pathway to 100% renewable energy, writing the EPA's greenhouse-gas Endangerment Finding into law, and shutting down the Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet

Supports shutting down the Line 5 pipeline and tunnel project and creating jobs in road and bridge repair and green energy infrastructure.

Supports pausing the gas tax while fuel shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted; says that in Congress he worked to secure U.S. energy independence by reducing regulations and taxes.

Health Care

Supports "Medicaid for all," a comprehensive plan covering all U.S. citizens from birth, so no one forgoes care because of cost.

Supports Medicare for All covering every American, including vision, dental and hearing, with no premiums, copays or deductibles. Supports abolishing medical debt and repealing the Medicaid and ACA subsidy cuts in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet

Supports health care for every U.S. resident that is free or available for a nominal fee at the point of service.

Says he would phase out taxpayer subsidies paid to insurance companies and give that money to patients, and opposed extending the enhanced ACA tax credits. Told supporters in 2026 he is interested in ending no-cost preventive care requirements and creating "catastrophic funds" for the sickest patients.

Economy & JobsNo public position found yet

Supports targeted tariffs to protect Michigan manufacturing, with unions given a significant voice in economic decisions, and called the Trump administration's tariffs "hamfisted" in an October 2026 debate. Supports the PRO Act and stronger antitrust enforcement.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet

Supports a Universal Basic Income of $1,000 per month for every U.S. citizen over 18, and $1,500 per month for descendants of people who were enslaved.

Has supported Trump's tariffs as a way to keep manufacturing in the U.S.; during the 2026 campaign said the trade war with Canada needs to end and he wants a deal with Canada.

Foreign PolicyNo public position found yet

Opposes the war with Iran and calls for an immediate end to hostilities. Supports an immediate arms embargo on Israel and enforcement of U.S. laws that place conditions on military aid and sales; cites U.S. support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion as an example of upholding international rules.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet

Supports ending U.S. military operations he considers illegal and ending material support to states he says are engaged in apartheid and genocide.

Supported the June 2025 U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites and the initial U.S. attacks in the 2026 Iran war; in August 2026 said the president has authority to act but should work with Congress on further military action.

AbortionNo public position found yet

Supports writing the abortion rights once protected by Roe v. Wade into federal law.

No public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Opposes abortion, but said in 2024 he would not vote for a national abortion ban, saying states should decide and Michigan voters made abortion legal in the state constitution.

Elections & Democracy

Says preserving the Constitution, civil rights and digital rights is the core of her campaign.

Supports overturning Citizens United, banning super PAC and corporate outside spending, abolishing the Senate filibuster, and Supreme Court term limits. Opposes mandatory voter ID laws such as the SAVE Act.

No public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet
HousingNo public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Supports housing policy reforms so every person is adequately housed and home ownership is attainable for individuals rather than private equity firms.

Proposes expanding 529 plans to cover first-time home down payments, letting timely rent payments build credit, reducing housing regulations, and tax-free zones for new residential construction.

ImmigrationNo public position found yet

Supports abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and replacing it with a new enforcement structure; says he believes in a safe, secure border, and in an October 2026 debate agreed that people convicted of murder should be deported.

No public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Says ICE is primarily targeting people convicted of murder for deportation; said ICE raids should be quick and without public fanfare, and that ICE has made adjustments after two fatal shootings by immigration officers in Minnesota.

TaxesNo public position found yet

Supports taxing capital gains and inheritances over $1 million as ordinary income, raising the top marginal rate on earnings over $1 million, and a tax on wealth over $1 billion.

No public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

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