Abdul El-Sayed has moved into first place in Michigan’s Democrat U.S. Senate primary, according to a new Mitchell Research & Communications poll showing him ahead of Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow in the race to replace retiring Democrat Sen. Gary Peters.

Abdul El-Sayed leads Michigan’s Democrat U.S. Senate primary by 10 points, according to a Mitchell Research & Communications poll conducted May 1-7 and released May 11.

The poll found El-Sayed at 28 percent, followed by Rep. Haley Stevens at 18 percent and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow at 17 percent. The survey of 405 likely Democrat primary voters was conducted by text message and directed respondents to a SurveyMonkey poll. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

The results mark a shift in the Democrat primary after an earlier poll showed Stevens and McMorrow statistically tied, with El-Sayed slightly behind. The Mitchell release said El-Sayed surged after endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and podcaster Hasan Piker, a “champagne socialist.”

Steve Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell Research & Communications, attributed El-Sayed’s rise to support from left-wing primary voters, saying El-Sayed is “running as the most progressive and liberal candidate” as he campaigns “in opposition to both the United States and Israel in Gaza and Iran.” Mitchell said the poll showed “evidence” that El-Sayed is receiving support from Democrats who backed Palestinians in the Israel-Palestinian war, and he also argued that El-Sayed could benefit from the two women in the race dividing support, saying “the women vote will be divided almost equally.”

The poll showed El-Sayed leading among men, 28 percent to 18 percent for McMorrow and 15 percent for Stevens. Among women, El-Sayed led with 22 percent, followed by Stevens at 21 percent and McMorrow at 17 percent.

By age, El-Sayed led strongly among voters ages 18 to 44, with 80 percent support compared to four percent for Stevens and three percent for McMorrow. McMorrow led among voters ages 45 to 64 with 26 percent, followed by El-Sayed at 23 percent and Stevens at six percent. Stevens led among voters 65 and older with 26 percent, followed by El-Sayed at 18 percent and McMorrow at 16 percent.

By race, El-Sayed led among white voters with 32 percent, followed by McMorrow at 19 percent and Stevens at 10 percent. Stevens led among African American voters with 36 percent, followed by McMorrow at 17 percent and El-Sayed at 15 percent. Among voters who were neither white nor African American, Stevens led with 27 percent, followed by El-Sayed at 15 percent and McMorrow at five percent.

Breitbart News recently reported that Politico reviewed records in Michigan and New York and found El-Sayed had never been granted a medical license in either state, despite calling himself a physician and listing “physician” on LinkedIn. His campaign said he had “earned the right to be called ‘doctor’ twice over,” while the report noted he had received a medical degree and earned a doctorate in public health. El-Sayed said he had “profound animus” toward Vice President JD Vance and claimed Vance’s recognition of a unique American culture contradicted his marriage to his Indian-heritage wife and the future of his children. El-Sayed later said he made the point “out of a love for his kids.” He has also called to abolish ICE, describing the agency as a “paramilitary force of thugs.”

McMorrow has come under fire over residency questions, deleted tweets, and immigration-related fundraising. Breitbart News reported that she supposedly voted in California after saying she had “relocated permanently” to Michigan, while her campaign said the move was a “process” completed by mid-2016. She said on CNN that she saw “parallels between Nazi Germany” and the Trump administration, and held a book signing benefiting Immigrant Rights Action, whose materials tell illegal immigrants approached by ICE to “use your right to remain silent” and “DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR.” 

Stevens has been challenged over her Biden ties and impeachment push against HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Breitbart News reported that a Democrat poll first reported by Politico found her pro-Biden voting record was “the most damaging argument against any candidate,” while noting she voted with Biden 90 percent of the time and supported Biden’s waiver for California’s EV mandate. Stevens also filed articles of impeachment against Kennedy, saying he had “turned his back on science and the safety of the American people,” while an HHS spokesman dismissed it as a “partisan political stunt.”

Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle described Michigan’s Senate race as “arguably the number one Republican pickup opportunity anywhere in America” on Breitbart News Saturday, while Republican candidate Mike Rogers warned that the Democrat field has moved sharply left. “They’ve all got huge problems here,” Rogers said, adding that some candidates are “very interested in owning grocery stores and owning every bit of your health care.” He warned that Democrats “want to Mamdani Michigan.”

After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, El-Sayed said Kirk’s killing was “wrongly and unjustly” carried out while describing Kirk’s speechs as “often xenophobic, hateful, and inflammatory.” Stevens said, “His stuff was odious” and McMorrow said she thought much of what Kirk said was “vile and wrong.”