Mallory McMorrow Calls for Five Debates in Tight Michigan Senate Primary Amid Waffling Accusations

Democratic Senate Candidate Mallory McMorrow Pushes for More Transparency as Rivals Question Consistency

LANSING — State Sen. Mallory McMorrow has announced she wants five televised debates ahead of August 4's Democratic primary for Michigan's U.S. Senate seat, but her call for more accountability has come amid growing criticism from her fellow Democrats that she's been inconsistent on key issues.

McMorrow, who currently holds a narrow lead in the primary race, said Monday she wants the first debate to happen before early voting begins on July 6. "Voters are tired of politics as usual — and tired of being talked at entirely through ads. That has to change," she said. "I'm calling on every candidate in this race to join me for five debates before the August primary, so Michiganders can hear from us directly, ask hard questions and make an informed choice."

The race for the Democratic nomination to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters is expected to be one of the most-watched races of the election cycle. McMorrow's main rivals include U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham and former Wayne County and Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed of Ann Arbor.

A Pattern of Shifting Positions?

While McMorrow has been campaigning on trustworthiness, her political opponents have been pointing to a pattern of changing positions on major issues.

According to a report by Detroit Metro Times, McMorrow previously told Bustle in 2017, "We'll never even win elections to get more seats at the table if we don't take advantage of every opportunity out there. Right now, money wins elections." She also posted on social media that, "If we on the left continue to tear down candidates for taking money to win, we'll continue to lose," before later deleting the post.

Now, as a Senate candidate, she has pledged to ban corporate PAC money from her campaign. "I've learned through my time in the legislature that you can't talk out of both sides of your mouth, that people won't trust you," McMorrow said in an interview earlier this month, according to Metro Times. "And also, not only can we fund campaigns without corporate PAC dollars, but frankly, we need to."

However, records show her State Senate campaign committee and leadership PAC accepted more than $120,000 from corporate PACs and other business-aligned groups, including a $500 contribution from Dow's corporate PAC in March 2025, a month before she launched her U.S. Senate campaign.

El-Sayed, who has consistently barred corporate PAC money from his campaigns, including during his 2018 gubernatorial run, has taken note. "I've been saying the same things for eight years, since I got into politics," El-Sayed said. "I didn't shift."

Data Center Policy Inconsistencies

The criticism extends to McMorrow's stance on AI data center development. In the waning weeks of the Democratic trifecta in Lansing in 2024, a bipartisan group of state legislators advanced a plan to cut millions of dollars in sales and use taxes for AI data centers through 2050.

McMorrow, then Democratic Senate majority whip, voted in favor of the proposal. The legislation has dramatically accelerated the development of AI data centers in Michigan.

Last week, McMorrow released a video about surveillance pricing and data centers, proposing guardrails to protect Michigan communities from the negative externalities of these developments. But her past vote on tax cuts for data centers has raised questions about how she can publicly say data centers should "pay their fair share" when she voted to explicitly protect them from doing so in the legislature.

"McMorrow dawns the aesthetics and rhetoric of a working class champion without actually believing in the cause in a way that matters," according to a critique published by Head in the Office, a Michigan political podcast. "In other words, it is a farce."

The article continued, noting that "McMorrow's stated proposals on regulating AI and data centers paired with her actual voting record in Michigan's legislature suggests, at best, inconsistency, and at worst, outright voter deception."

Cancelled Interviews Raise Questions

Compounding concerns about transparency, McMorrow recently cancelled a scheduled interview with Head in the Office, citing scheduling issues. The podcast had intended to invite each candidate in the race for an interview to discuss the biggest issues.

"We reached out to McMorrow's team at the beginning of March and scheduled an interview for April 2, only for her to back out of it last Friday," the podcast reported. "We don't have to evidence to suggest it wasn't actually a scheduling conflict."

The podcast's interview was focused on trustworthiness and inconsistencies in McMorrow's positions. "Surely, this sentiment would not only apply to right-wing shows, right?" the article asked. "After all, none of us want a Republican to win in the general election, so getting clarity on some of these issues would have been beneficial for the Michigan electorate at large."

Debates Scheduled with Religious Group

In response to McMorrow's debate call, Stevens' campaign spokesperson Joetta Appiah said Stevens has already committed to a debate with the Council of Baptist Pastors in Detroit on April 24, which the other candidates are expected to attend.

"Haley's been campaigning all over the state so Michiganders have the opportunity to hear directly from her about her vision for the future of the state," Appiah said. "We look forward to a robust and substantive debate process that reaches voters across our state."

El-Sayed's campaign spokesperson Sophie Pollock shared a statement from El-Sayed saying, "We've been out here from day one, taking questions, having real conversations and earning support face-to-face. If you want a debate, I'm there. If you want to talk to voters, I already have been."

High Stakes Race

The Michigan Senate race has significant national implications. Congressional majorities for a future Democratic president are considered in jeopardy if Democrats lose in Michigan, according to political observers. The state will decide who replaces Gary Peters, a Democrat stepping down after two six-year terms.

Democrats face tough odds in their hopes of flipping four currently Republican-held seats nationally in order to regain majority control of the Senate. If they were to lose in Michigan, that becomes far more unlikely.

McMorrow, who is in what appears to be a tightly contested race, may be calculating that she can increase her name recognition and improve her chances of winning the nomination by confronting her rivals directly before TV audiences. However, debates can be risky, as flubs or mistakes can be magnified and difficult to overcome.

The Republican field, led by former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of White Lake — the perceived frontrunner for the Republican nomination and endorsed by President Donald Trump — will face whoever wins the Democratic primary. Rogers lost a narrow race to U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., in 2024.

Political observers are closely monitoring the Michigan race, which will decide the Democratic nominee for the soon-to-be-open U.S. Senate seat.