Michigan's Primaries Expose Fault Lines in Both Parties Before November

Michigan's primaries this week laid bare problems facing both parties in one of the country's most closely contested states, NBC News' Kristen Welker reported in an analysis for the network's politics newsletter.

Democrats are working to close ranks after a set of divisive contests, most prominently the Senate race, where progressive Abdul El-Sayed defeated moderate Rep. Haley Stevens. Michigan Democrats gathered for a unity rally featuring former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, though it remains unclear what further steps the party will take to maximize turnout in the fall.

As progressives advance to the general election, Democrats also face Republican efforts to tie their candidates to the party's ascendant democratic socialist wing. El-Sayed has stressed that he is not a socialist.

Republicans, for their part, are contending with President Donald Trump's sagging approval ratings, with voters giving him low marks on his handling of the economy and the Iran war.

Those pressures are visible in Michigan's 7th District, which includes Lansing and is held by Republican Rep. Tom Barrett. Trump carried the district by 1 point in 2024.

Progressive activist William Lawrence won the Democratic primary there. Lawrence, who recently let his membership in the Democratic Socialists of America lapse, told "Meet the Press NOW" he would counter Republican attacks by staying "focused on issues here in the district that are appealing to people across the political spectrum," including opposition to data centers and the Iran war.

Lawrence said he would work with Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who previously represented the district, even though he has called her a "warmonger" and she endorsed one of his primary opponents. The two, he said, "have a lot of common ground in our approach to politics."

Barrett, also interviewed on the program, noted he was among the few Republicans who supported a war powers resolution during the Iran war and acknowledged the conflict had pushed gas prices higher. He welcomed Trump's endorsement and said the president had recently visited the district.

Asked to grade Trump's economic record, Barrett declined. "I wouldn't say that we have made serious improvement to our economy," he said. "We took over in a very, very challenging time, but look, I'm not going to pretend that the work is done."

Welker said she will interview El-Sayed on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, along with Sens. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn.