2026 Senate forecastThe Upper Chamber

← All 35 races

MI · Senate 2026 · Updated Aug 27, 2026, 2:03 a.m. ET

Michigan

Rated Lean D

Abdul El-Sayed wins this seat in 63 in 100 simulations. Call it could easily go either way.

  • Portrait of Abdul El-SayedAbdul El-SayedD63 in 100
  • Portrait of Mike RogersMike RogersR37 in 100

Over time

How the forecast has moved

0255075100AprJulOctJan ’26AprJulD 63 in 100R 37 in 100Aug 27, 2026
Chance in 100 the seat goes to each side: blue for the Democratic caucus, red for the Republicans · one point per day · hover or tap to read the lines

The margin

How close it lands

Each simulation produces a final margin. The curve shows where those margins fall; the tinted areas on either side of even are the futures each party wins.

EvenD +2.5
Mike Rogers aheadAbdul El-Sayed ahead →
Where the simulated margins land · marker at the average margin

Under the hood

What's driving the number

The forecast blends a weighted poll average with a fundamentals model: the state's partisan lean, incumbency, the national environment, and fundraising. Positive points favor the Democratic side of the margin; negative favor the Republican side.

  • Partisan leanR +0.4
  • IncumbencyEven
  • National environmentD +5.1
  • FundraisingD +0.2
  • Fundamentals sayD +4.9
  • The polls sayD +1.1
  • Blended forecast marginD +2.5

The blend puts 62 percent of its weight on the polls and 38 percent on the fundamentals; polls take over as more arrive and election day nears.

The markets

What the betting markets say

Prediction markets put a price on this seat too: what people are paying for a contract that pays out if Abdul El-Sayed wins, read as an implied probability. Shown for comparison only. This is not betting advice, and market prices never feed the model.

  • Abdul El-Sayed winsThis forecast63 in 100
  • Abdul El-Sayed winsKalshi62 in 100
  • Abdul El-Sayed winsPolymarket64 in 100

Market prices as of Aug 27, 2026, 2:03 a.m. ET

The evidence

The polls, as the model sees them

Every public poll of this race, with the weight the model gave it in the latest run. Weights reward recency, sample size, and pollster track record; the house adjustment corrects each pollster's habitual lean before averaging.

PollDatesSampleD–RMarginHouse adj.Weight
Susquehanna Polling & Research (R)Aug 11–17800 LV46–39D +7.0+0.316%
Fabrizio Ward (R)/ Impact Research (D)Aug 9–11877 LV48–47D +1.013%
Beacon Research (D)/ Shaw & Co. Research (R)Aug 6–101,006 RV47–51R +4.0+1.019%
GBAO (D)Aug 6–10800 LV50–44D +6.0−0.39%
TIPP Insights (R)Aug 6–101,215 LV45–42D +3.0−0.215%
TIPP Insights (R)Aug 6–101,528 RV43–39D +4.0−0.28%
EPIC-MRAJul 24–31600 LV43–46R +3.0+0.45%
SoCal Strategies (R)Jul 28–30640 LV41–42R +1.05%
Mitchell Research & CommunicationsJul 28–29672 LV45–45Even+1.17%
Glengariff GroupJul 22–24600 LV39–49R +10.03%
Quantus Insights (R)Jun 29–30947 LV45–44D +1.0<1%
Data for Progress (D)Jun 15–22709 LV47–46D +1.0+1.9<1%
Zenith Research (D)Jun 11–14602 LV45–42D +3.0<1%
Mitchell Research & CommunicationsJun 11–13827 LV47–42D +5.0+1.1<1%
Tulchin Research (D)Jun 2–4500 LV46–41D +5.0−0.6<1%
TIPP Insights (R)May 20–231,163 LV43–42D +1.0−0.2<1%
TIPP Insights (R)May 20–231,456 RV40–40Even−0.2<1%
Mitchell ResearchMay 1–7607 LV41–42R +1.0<1%
Glengariff GroupApr 28–May 1600 LV42–45R +3.0<1%
Emerson CollegeJan 24–251,000 LV43–43Even+0.9<1%
Glengariff GroupJan 2–6600 LV42–48R +6.0<1%
Mitchell Research & CommunicationsNov 18–21616 LV38–41R +3.0+1.10%
Rosetta Stone Communications (R)Oct 23–25637 LV31–45R +14.00%
Glengariff GroupMay 5–8600 RV45–47R +2.00%

How the weights, the blend, and the simulation work is spelled out on the methodology page.