Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) announced she’s running for U.S. Senate in Michigan.

“It’s official, Michigan. I’m running to be your next United States senator. Michiganders are the hardest working people I know. We built this country and the middle class, and I’m running to have their backs in Washington. Let’s get to work,” Stevens said.

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It’s official, Michigan. I’m running to be your next United States senator.

Michiganders are the hardest working people I know. We built this country and the middle class, and I’m running to have their backs in Washington. Let’s get to work. pic.twitter.com/89TmfCZXl0

— Haley Stevens (@HaleyforMI) April 22, 2025

POLITICO reports:

Stevens is touting her background in the auto industry in the manufacturing-heavy state. Her announcement video features her role as a top aide on President Barack Obama’s auto rescue task force — and an old video of Obama talking about her. She’s also suggesting she’ll emphasize an economic message in the race, saying that Michiganders are getting “more chaos” while facing higher prices and increased housing costs.

A prodigious fundraiser, Stevens had quietly been making moves this year toward a bid to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, but she’ll be entering a crowded Democratic field to replace him. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Abdul El-Sayed, the former director of Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services, are already running, with former Michigan state House Speaker Joe Tate also expected to declare his candidacy.

Other top-tier Democrats like former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet opted not to join the race, leading many Democrats to see the contest as wide open.

Stevens is now likely to occupy a more centrist lane in the race compared to her declared and expected competitors, drawing from her current position as the current chair of the political arm of the New Democrat Coalition. El-Sayed and McMorrow have positioned themselves as political outsiders, with El-Sayed winning the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Stevens made headlines for a 2020 outburst on the House floor while wearing pink latex gloves, being ruled out of order.

“I rise before you adorning these latex gloves not for personal attention, not for personal attention but to encourage you to take this disease seriously,” Stevens said.

“I rise for every American who is scared right now,” she continued.

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🚨New: Michigan Democrat Congresswoman Haley Stevens has officially announced that she is running in the 2026 Michigan Senate Race pic.twitter.com/hYYNKwSg4R

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) April 22, 2025

From the Associated Press:

Stevens, a Democrat, is the fourth well-known candidate to join what is quickly becoming one of the nation’s most-watched Senate races, with the Republicans’ 53-47 majority at stake in a battleground state Trump won in November.

Quickly a top possible contender after Democratic Sen. Gary Peters chose not to seek reelection, Stevens will oppose State Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former gubernatorial candidate and public health official Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic primary.

On the Republican side, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers is trying again after losing to Democrat Elissa Slotkin in the state’s 2024 U.S. Senate race by just 19,000 votes.

Stevens will seek to defend her tenure in Congress in the Democratic primary as McMorrow and El-Sayed establish themselves as outsiders. McMorrow is known nationally for her viral moments and El-Sayed has the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Before Congress, Stevens served on the U.S. Treasury’s auto task force following the 2008 financial crisis as President Barack Obama’s administration bailed out General Motors and Chrysler. She said Trump’s taxes on imports are creating another crisis for the Michigan economy, which rides or stalls based on the auto industry’s condition.