Haley Stevens Takes Questions As She Submits Petition Signatures For U.S. Senate Run

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 04/10/2026) U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) submitted her petition signatures necessary to appear on the ballot for the upcoming Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

The four-term congressional representative arrived outside the Richard H. Austin building in Lansing shortly before 1 p.m. on an overcast afternoon, where she was greeted by a group of signature gatherers holding her campaign signs.

She mingled with them, thanking one woman who she proclaimed the “signature queen!” before hugging members of a Detroit-based labor union.

As aides started to gather the black duffle bags full of signatures, Stevens said to one of them, “Here, let me take one of these.” She then slung the bag around her shoulder and declared, “OK, these are going in,” before leading her team into the building.

The metro Detroit native is situated in the three-way primary election as a relatively moderate Democrat, and the sole candidate with prior experience in Congress.

The Democratic primary she is running in is made up of Abdul El-sayed, a former Detroit health official, who has tried to stake out a position as a progressive courting the youth vote and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak), who has gone viral on social media for her speeches, sits somewhere between El-Sayed and Stevens on the ideological spectrum.

As for other U.S. Senate candidates, perceived Republican front-runner Mike Rogers finished collecting 30,000 signatures in December, according to his campaign, and will soon be turning them into the Department of State building ahead of the April 21 deadline.

State Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) will be submitting her 30,000 signatures gathered by “an all-volunteer force” on Monday, and progressive Abdul El-Sayed will be turning in 30,000 on Tuesday. El-Sayed's campaign says signatures have been collected over the past year by his “grassroots team of volunteers and organizing staff.”

After submitting the petition signatures inside, Stevens addressed the media and took questions from reporters.

Some of the questions and answers, which have been edited for clarity and length, are included:

Detroit News: I’ve talked to a bunch of Democrats this week, and I’ve heard over and over again that they’re concerned about how negative this primary race has gotten, and they’re worried it will help Mike Rogers possibly become the first Republican in more than three decades to win a Michigan U.S. Senate seat. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Stevens: “Well, I’m shutting out the noise, because what I know to be true is that Michigan deserves leadership. You know, what’s on display here today is, I filed to get on the ballot, and it’s one of our great traditions. And so my plan is about having the mayors of Grand Rapids, Lansing, Livonia, dozens of other municipal and local leaders who have endorsed."

“You know, the work that I was doing in Detroit just yesterday, with dozens of members of the faith community, talking and coming up with solutions about what we need told of our community, how to build stronger neighbors, neighborhoods and how to tackle rising costs. I’m also thrilled to have the most labor endorsements in this race by far.”

“And that’s where I’m staying focused.”

"I’m staying focused on what I’ve done time and time again, winning tough races, being a part of a rigorous process to get there. That's what this country is all about.”

MIRS: I was at the much-discussed rally on MSU’s campus with Abdul El-Sayed, your competitor, and the leftist streamer Hasan Piker. I wanted to give you a chance to respond to one of the arguments that was made during it that got some of the largest applause. Piker said that establishment Democrats, which he said included yourself, had spent the last several weeks criticizing him and El-Sayed when they should’ve been crafting a coherent strategy to rein in President Donald Trump and his war on Iran. What do you make of that argument?

Stevens: “Let me answer in a two-party way. First and foremost, as it pertains to my campaign, I’m deeply honored to have Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence by my side in this race, a trailblazer and a history maker who knows what it means to win in tough races for the state of Michigan and in tough and challenging times…"

"On the other part of your question, I’ll say I proudly voted for war powers, and I am against this war, and I am standing up each and every single day in the U.S. Congress on behalf of the great people of Michigan to say that it is our gas prices that are going through the roof, it's Michiganders who are paying the price for this war, it is our service men and women who are being put in harm’s way, without a plan, and, again, the abuses of power."

"This is why I wrote a piece of very pertinent legislation that I absolutely plan to take to the U.S. Senate, which is, ‘Stop Trump’s abuses of power.’”

Crain’s Detroit Business: What is your case to Democrats as they go to vote in the primary?

Stevens: “Well, as somebody who has got a very unique background in getting real accomplishments for Michigan, being recognized as the most effective Democrat in the House of Representatives because I got the CHIPS act done, because I got science legislation done, because I solve people’s problems — this is about hard work, meeting the opportunity of the challenges before us."

And for me, very squarely, when I see people who I care about getting screwed over and ripped off, getting screwed over and ripped off and having their pockets hit time and time again, increasing electricity bills, grocery bills, healthcare bills, a president who passes a billion dollar giveaway to the very rich while we’re all paying for it.

So I’m saying, everybody, send Michigan’s pitbull to the U.S. Senate.”