STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., July 20, 2026 – Macomb Defenders Rising (“MDR”), an Indivisible-affiliated grassroots organization, today announced its endorsement of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic primary for the United States Senate, calling the race a defining test of whether grassroots democracy can overcome unprecedented corporate and special-interest spending.
MDR rarely endorses candidates, but its leadership committee said the extraordinary stakes of the Senate race—and what it represents for the future of the Democratic Party—made remaining neutral impossible.
“This isn’t just another Senate race,” said Kristy Thomas, executive director of MDR. “Michigan has become the front line in a national battle over who our democracy belongs to. Voters are choosing between a grassroots movement powered by ordinary people and a political system increasingly dominated by corporate money, billionaire-funded super PACs, and entrenched special interests.”
MDR said El-Sayed’s campaign aligns with its commitment to building a Democratic Party accountable to everyday people rather than corporate donors and powerful political interests. The organization cited his support for getting big money out of politics, Medicare for All, strengthening workers’ rights, defending civil and human rights, and building an economy that serves everyday people.
The organization contrasted El-Sayed’s campaign with that of U.S. Representative Haley Stevens, who MDR described as the establishment candidate and the principal beneficiary of an unprecedented wave of outside spending.
The race has attracted more than $50 million in outside spending, including nearly $30 million from AIPAC and affiliated political organizations. The organization said much of that spending has been used to support Stevens or oppose El-Sayed, transforming the primary into a national test of whether grassroots organizing can withstand overwhelming financial influence.
“When one network of special-interest organizations can spend nearly $30 million trying to shape a single Senate primary, we are no longer talking about politics as usual,” said Brandon Watson, MDR’s elections team lead. “We are talking about whether sheer financial power can overwhelm the will of the people.”
MDR also criticized outside advertisements supporting Stevens that it said have blurred the distinction between historical praise and current endorsements.
“We’ve talked to voters who genuinely believed former President Obama and the UAW had endorsed Haley Stevens because of these ads, even though Obama hasn’t endorsed anyone in this race and the UAW has backed El-Sayed,” Watson said. “When organizations dedicated to advocating for the interests of a foreign government can spend nearly $30 million to shape a U.S. Senate election while creating that level of deception, every voter should be asking hard questions. Democracy depends on informed voters.”
Thomas said the endorsement reflects MDR’s broader belief that resisting concentrated power requires confronting it both inside and outside the Democratic Party.
“MDR wasn’t founded to defend politics as usual,” Thomas said. “We were founded to organize ordinary people to challenge concentrated power wherever it exists. Abdul represents the kind of bold, accountable leadership our communities deserve, and we are proud to endorse him.”
MDR encourages Michigan voters to learn about the candidates, reject the influence of unlimited outside spending, and participate in the Democratic primary.
About Macomb Defenders Rising
Macomb Defenders Rising (MDR) is a volunteer-led, progressive organization founded on the day of Donald Trump’s second inauguration as a grassroots organization dedicated to the defense of American democracy and human dignity. Based in Macomb County and active throughout Metro Detroit, MDR organizes civic action, mutual aid, and education to build an inclusive, compassionate, and engaged community. Learn more or get involved at macombdefenders.com.