Haley Stevens running for U.S. Senate in Michigan, joining growing Democratic field

WASHINGTON, DC February 6, 2025: Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) delivers remarks during the introduction of the Taxpayer Data Protection Act press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Thursday February 6, 2025. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (

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(FOX 2) - The race for U.S. Senate to fill Gary Peter's soon-to-be vacant seat got a little more crowded Tuesday.

Haley Stevens currently serves as the 11th district representative in Michigan. She won her first seat in Congress in 2018.

Big picture view:

Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens is running for U.S. Senate, vying for the seat that will be left open by outgoing Sen. Gary Peters.

She joins State Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former director of Wayne County's health department Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic primary.

The centrist Democrat has represented an increasingly-blue portion of Michigan in the suburbs around Detroit. She flipped the southern Oakland County seat in 2018 before beating back Democratic competition in a hard-fought primary against Andy Levin in 2020.

Announcing her intention on Tuesday morning, she told voters in her campaign video about her first car, using it as a launch pad to talk about the auto industry in Detroit and her work during the bailout.

Local perspective:

Speaking in front of a car dealership, she said her first vehicle was "a piece of Michigan."

"You know, the Michigan that helped build this country. The Michigan that shaped me. It's not just what I sound like, it's who I am," said Stevens.

Stevens worked in the Obama administration as part of his auto rescue task force, even showing a video of the former president calling her out by name.

Stevens also took aim at President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, attacking the executive's tariffs as harmful to business and manufacturing in Michigan.

Dig deeper:

Michigan's purple status as a swing state means an open U.S. Senate seat will likely attract a lot of attention - as well as a lot of money.

The Birmingham Democrat is one of the biggest names to join the race from the party. On the Republican side, Mike Rogers, who came up short in his bid against Elissa Slotkin for the senate seat in 2024, announced his candidacy for the open seat next year.

While Michigan hasn't sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate in decades, many variables could disrupt or cement that tradition - including next year's midterms being a referendum on the party in power as well as the tight margins in the chamber.