Exclusive: Stevens attacks fellow Dems as Michigan Senate primary get ugly

• Democrats are playing defense in this race after the retirement of Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.).
• For months, Democrats have been quietly concerned that a nasty Michigan primary, which isn't until early August, will divide the party.
• Stevens' aggressive new strategy will validate — and fan — those fears.

State of play: Stevens is favored by party leaders, but is locked in a close race with state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and progressive doctor Abdul El-Sayed.

• Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R), who barely lost to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D) in the 2024 general election, is narrowly leading his three Democratic candidates in hypothetical match-ups, according to a late November poll.

What they're saying: Stevens said in an interview with Axios that El-Sayed has backed the Green New Deal, which "was not supported by Michiganders or our auto workers" and "would have led to job loss."

• "I'm not the one who's calling Michigan manufacturing a dying industry and dreaming about taking cars off the road," she added of El-Sayed, who has publicly supported the Green New Deal.
• Her campaign pointed to 2019 tweets by El-Sayed that said "climate change is only going to to get more expensive to deal w/ ... dying industries" and that a single bus can take several cars "off of the road."
• Stevens also took a shot at McMorrow, alleging, "I ... haven't criticized our manufacturing economy or said that as a state, we've got to focus on something else."
• McMorrow, who has argued in favor of a multifaceted economy, has rejected the notion that she is putting down manufacturing and said that she's optimistic about the auto industry.

Stevens' campaign made similar attacks in a memo that previewed her more aggressive strategy, which the campaign shared with Axios.

The other side: El-Sayed spokesperson Roxie Richner said in response, "It's unfortunate to watch a drowning campaign use FOX News talking points in an attempt to stay relevant. Turns out that gobs of corporate money can't buy you a personality or a Senate seat — even if you've paid with your integrity."

• "In truth, Abdul believes in manufacturing — he comes from a home that Michigan's automotive industry made possible. But limited perspectives like Stevens' are why we are missing the opportunity to bring more good union jobs to Michigan to manufacture the future of renewable energy," Richner added.

McMorrow spokesperson Hannah Lindow said, "Mallory started her career in car design, and she'll fight for every manufacturing job in our state. Michiganders expect results, not just rhetoric. And too often in recent years, companies have over promised and under-delivered using billions in corporate incentives and subsidies."

• "Mallory's proud to champion long-overdue economic development reform that acknowledges the best way to grow Michigan's economy — in manufacturing, tech, and beyond — is to support our people, communities, workforce development, and regions — and passed a bipartisan bill to do just that."

Zoom in: Stevens, who has positioned herself as a champion of the state's manufacturing industry, also criticized President Trump, who traveled to Michigan on Tuesday to give a speech on the economy, as well as Rogers.

• "Donald Trump has undermined Michigan manufacturing, and I'm going to call out other Democrats who do so," she said.

The bottom line: The fact that Stevens is getting aggressive underscores how competitive the Michigan Senate primary has become.

• Recent polls have shown that Stevens is up only a few percentage points in the primary.
• El-Sayed has been endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the hosts of the podcast "Pod Save America" are holding a fundraiser for him.
• McMorrow, meanwhile, is seen as a rising star in the party.