El-Sayed leads Stevens in early returns for Democratic Senate primary

Detroit— Abdul El-Sayed was leading Haley Stevens in early returns Tuesday night in the most-expensive Democratic U.S. Senate primary contest in U.S. history.

El-Sayed had 55% to Stevens' 39%, according to early election data compiled by The Detroit News.

A third candidate, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak, was pulling in 5.5% of the vote. She remained on Tuesday's ballot after dropping out of the race on July 5.

Polls closed in most of Michigan at 8 p.m., but voting continues in four counties in the western Upper Peninsula that are in the Central Time Zone.

The fierce contest has pitted Stevens, a moderate four-term congresswoman from Birmingham, against El-Sayed, a former public health official and podcaster from Ann Arbor, for the chance to take on Republican Mike Rogers of White Lake Township in November.

Michigan's Senate seat is up for grabs because two-term U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, is retiring. Republicans haven't won a Senate race in Michigan since 1994, and Democrats need to win in Michigan if they hope to retake control of the Senate.