Democrat Mallory McMorrow Joins 2026 Michigan Senate Race: ‘We Need New Leaders’

The state senator said that she’s frustrated with the current leadership of the Democratic Party.

Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow speaks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

State Sen. Mallory McMorrow launched her bid for the Michigan Senate on Wednesday, calling for change within the Democratic Party.

The Michigan Democrat said she is entering the 2026 race because she believes new leadership is needed in Washington.

McMorrow, 38, is running for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters, a fellow Democrat.

McMorrow’s campaign launch video featured news clips including headlines that read “Democratic Party’s favorability drops to a record low.”

The Senate race in the battleground state that President Donald Trump won is expected to be one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterms.

McMorrow said that she’s frustrated with the current leadership in her party and that Democrats are “lacking the urgency of this moment.” She also criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for supporting Trump’s spending bill.

McMorrow in her video distanced herself from national Democrats and urged voters to support her to challenge the status quo.

“We need new leaders,” she said in a video statement on X. “Because the same people in D.C. who got us into this mess are not going to be the ones to get us out of it.”

In her campaign launch video, McMorrow reminded voters that she won her  seat in 2018 over Republican incumbent Marty Knollenberg, “flipping a red seat when nobody thought it was possible.”

McMorrow was first elected to the state Legislature in 2018. She was quickly seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party after a 2022 floor speech in which she pushed back against fellow state Sen. Lana Theis (R-Mich), who had accused her of wanting to groom and sexualize young children in a fundraising email.

In 2024, McMorrow earned a speaking role at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in which she held up a giant Project 2025 prop and claimed it was the blueprint for a second Trump term.

Her campaign video features images of Trump and senior adviser Elon Musk.

“I know there’s a lot of fear and anger and uncertainty right now about people in power who frankly have no business being there,” she said in her campaign launch video. “So, you know what won’t fix it? The same old crap on Washington.”

McMorrow is the first major candidate to launch a campaign for the Senate seat. A handful of other Democrats have publicly expressed interest, including Rep. Haley Stevens and Michigan Attorney General Dana Hessel.

For Republicans, Rep. Mike Rogers is exploring a potential bid again after losing to Democrat Elissa Slotkin in 2024. The Republican Party has been eyeing the Michigan race as a pathway to expand their 53-47 majority in the Senate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News