Michigan Democrats have begun rallying behind Abdul El-Sayed after the progressive former public-health official narrowly defeated Representative Haley Stevens in a bitter primary for a pivotal US Senate seat.

El-Sayed led Stevens by 14,893 votes — less than one percentage point — when the Associated Press declared him the winner on Wednesday, after more than 1.5 million ballots had been counted.

“Whatever differences that we might have had in the primary, they pale in comparison to what unifies us,” El-Sayed said after the result.

He will face Republican nominee Mike Rogers, a former congressman who ran unopposed in his party’s primary, in November.

El-Sayed, 41, celebrated his victory at the Spirit of Detroit monument, telling supporters: “In the words of Muhammad Ali, we shook up the world.”

Stevens called El-Sayed to concede and pledged her support in the general election. State Senator Mallory McMorrow, who withdrew from the primary in July, joined El-Sayed and Michigan Democratic Party chairman Curtis Hertel at Wednesday’s appearance.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who had endorsed Stevens, and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Kirsten Gillibrand also promised their party’s support.

“Democrats are united by a common purpose,” they said in a joint statement, adding that the party would work with El-Sayed to defeat Rogers and regain control of the Senate.

The contest will determine who succeeds Democratic Senator Gary Peters, who is retiring. Michigan is regarded as a crucial hold for Democrats, who must also gain Republican-held seats to overturn the party’s Senate majority.

President Donald Trump narrowly carried Michigan in 2024, increasing Democratic concerns about whether a progressive nominee can retain the seat in a politically divided state.

El-Sayed, a doctor who has not previously held elected office, campaigned on introducing universal healthcare through Medicare for All, reducing the influence of corporate money in politics and addressing housing and living costs.

He also supports ending unconditional US military assistance to Israel, a position that distinguished him from Stevens and intensified divisions over Gaza and US policy towards Israel.

If elected, El-Sayed would become the first Muslim member of the US Senate.

The primary attracted unprecedented outside spending. The Associated Press reported that groups supporting Stevens or opposing El-Sayed spent more than $60 million, including more than $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and affiliated organisations.

El-Sayed’s campaign put the total closer to $70 million and described his victory as a rejection of corporate and lobby-group influence. That figure has not been independently confirmed in full.

Turnout surpassed every previous Michigan Senate and gubernatorial primary, as well as almost every presidential primary in the state since at least 1978, according to records cited by the Associated Press.

Israel remained one of the campaign’s sharpest fault lines. El-Sayed faced accusations of antisemitism from opponents, which he rejected, while some Jewish Democrats said his rhetoric had left their concerns unaddressed.

“My commitment to Jewish safety is the same commitment to the safety of my own daughters,” El-Sayed told reporters on Wednesday.

Republicans quickly sought to portray him as too far to the left for Michigan. Trump called the result “great news” for his party, while Rogers said voters would face a choice between “common sense or complete insanity”.

El-Sayed has challenged Rogers to five televised debates. His campaign said more than 13,000 volunteers would now be directed towards the general election, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee confirmed that it would work with him to defend the seat in November.