Polls Showed Abdul El-Sayed Would Crush Haley Stevens In Michigan Primary. They Were Dead Wrong.

August 05, 2026 11:13 AM ET Polls repeatedly indicated former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed held a comfortable lead against Democratic Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, though the election results proved them wrong. El-Sayed narrowly defeated Stevens in a 48.5% to 47.5% vote Wednesday after finishing neck-and-neck with his opponent in the Michigan primary race Tuesday, The Associated Press results showed. However, polls suggested that El-Sayed held a significant lead against Stevens prior to primary day.An Emerson College Polling/WLNS/WOODTV survey from July 30 showed El-Sayed led Stevens 54% to 39%. The survey suggested that voters under the age of 50 and independents supported El-Sayed by significant margins, prompting his sizable lead. A Mitchell Research & Communications poll