Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) officially launched her U.S. Senate campaign for 2026, becoming the first major party candidate to announce with a clear ability to raise money and to appear on the ballot next year.
“There are moments that will break you. This is not that moment. This moment will challenge us, test us and, if it all feels like too much, that’s their plan,” McMorrow said in her campaign video.
The video appeared on X Wednesday at 6 a.m.
McMorrow’s U.S. Senate bid was anticipated, especially when asked in March before a crowd of 300 in Royal Oak if she was running: “I said that I would have news in April. … It is almost April.”
McMorrow is a 38-year-old state senator in her second term. She was elevated to the national spotlight in spring 2022, after her intense floor speech condemning a Republican fundraising mailer that called her a “progressive media troll” who allegedly wanted to groom and sexualize children.
The speech lasted more than 4 minutes, describing Republicans as running a “hollow, hateful scheme” to target children “who are different.” Attention to the speech gave McMorrow a platform to raise $2.35 million from more than 12,500 individual donors ahead of the fall 2022 elections.
Also, last month her book, “Hate Won’t Win: Find Your Power And Leave This Place Better Than You Found It,” was released, written both as a memoir and how-to-guide for political engagement.
McMorrow is chair of the Senate Economic and Community Development Committee. Last year, not one of her bills was signed into law, although in 2023 she was a sponsor in creating the “red flag” firearm law for individuals deemed to be a fatal risk to themselves or others.
The firearm reform set up a mechanism for romantic partners, family members and roommates to petition the courts to have someone temporarily restrained from owning guns.
Additionally, she sponsored the return of Michigan’s blue and black vehicle registration plates from the 1990s and early 1980s, respectively, as special legacy plates residents could use.
Tony Zammit, the communications manager for Michigan State University’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, sees McMorrow as an incredibly viable candidate going into 2026.
“The ability to raise money, the ability to communicate effectively and the ability to be, frankly, just likable – and McMorrow scores highly on all three of those,” Zammit said. “One thing that might be a challenge for her, I think if you look back historically, she would probably be the most progressive person that Michigan (could elect) to the Senate, as far as I know.”
In the past, Zammit was a community outreach specialist on conservative campaigns, like that of now-U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, the Indiana Republican, and was the Michigan Republican Party’s previous communications director.
He described McMorrow as openly progressive, unlike other folks who aspired toward the U.S. Senate by trying to mark a more moderate tone like U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly), who won her tight race last year by 19,006 votes statewide.
But at the same time, McMorrow comes from a business world background outside of politics. For example, in the early 2010s, she was the creative lead for Hot Wheels at the Mattel toy company, and did creative strategy work for automotive brands.
“She has done a good job at courting automotive suppliers in the automotive industry. She has been a leader within the state’s automotive caucus, so I think that’s something that we should pay attention to,” Zammit said, wondering who from Michigan’s automotive and Metro Detroit business communities might come forward to back McMorrow financially.
Article courtesy MIRS News for SBAM’s Lansing Watchdog newsletter
Click here for more News & Resources.