Democratic Detroit lawmaker Joe Tate drops out of US Senate race

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit lawmaker is dropping out of the race to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate, he announced Friday, leaving three Democratic front-runners to compete in the primary.

State Rep. Joe Tate, who was the first Black speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he is suspending his campaign to move “in a different direction of service.” He struggled to compete with the fundraising numbers put up by the three other Democratic candidates, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and public health official Abdul El-Sayed.

The race is likely to be one of the most watched in 2026, as Republicans seek to defend their majority in the U.S. Senate.

“The past three months have been wonderful, just to touch base with Michiganders,” Tate said of his campaign.

Tate was the fourth Democrat to jump into the race after Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters announced his intention to retire at the end of his term. The other three candidates far outpaced Tate in fundraising, according to recent campaign finance reports.

Stevens reported a haul of $2.8 million, McMorrow brought it $2.1 million, and El-Sayed banked about $1.8 million. Stevens’ amount includes $1.5 million she transferred from her previous U.S. House campaign.

Meanwhile, Tate raised around $193,000 and reported having about $70,000 on hand as of June 30.

Tate said he is looking into seeking reelection for his House seat. Tate stepped down as speaker after Republicans gained a majority in the November election.

On the Republican side of the ballot, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers is running again after losing to Democrat Elissa Slotkin in the state’s 2024 U.S. Senate race by just 19,000 votes. The way was all but cleared for him after GOP U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, who was exploring a run, announced in July that he would not seek the seat.

Rogers’ main campaign account reported bringing in about $1.2 million as of June 30, according to his Federal Election Commission filing.