Jeremy Moss won Michigan’s 11th Congressional District Democratic primary on August 4, capturing 49.2% of the vote in a four-candidate race, according to NBC News. The Michigan state senator defeated attorney Aisha Farooqi, who received 33.0% of the vote, along with John Paul Torres and Don Ufford.
Moss, 40, is the first openly LGBTQ state senator in Michigan history and served as president pro tempore of the Michigan Senate. If he wins the general election in November against Republican nominee Ethan Baker, he would become the first openly LGBTQ member of Congress from Michigan.
The primary race emerged after U.S. Representative Haley Stevens, a four-term Democrat who had held the seat since 2018, decided to run for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat instead. Stevens is trailing in that race as of early August, according to NBC News reporting on the Senate primary results.
Moss’s victory was bolstered by high-profile endorsements, including from Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who backed him in November 2025. Whitmer’s endorsement, along with support from other Democratic leaders, gave Moss significant momentum in the crowded primary field.
As a state legislator, Moss championed LGBTQ rights protections in Michigan. He strengthened the state’s civil rights law to ban housing and employment discrimination and led efforts to recognize Pride Month at the state level. In his campaign for Congress, Moss has pledged to fight for the federal Equality Act and protect reproductive rights.
If elected, Moss would join a growing caucus of openly LGBTQ members of Congress. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin has served as the first openly gay U.S. senator since 2013, and the 119th Congress includes a record number of LGBTQ representatives, according to GLAAD.
The general election in November will pit Moss against Republican Ethan Baker in a district that leans Democratic. Stevens flipped the seat from Republican control in 2018, and Democrats will be looking to hold it in what is shaping up to be a competitive midterm cycle.
Sources
- NBC News — Michigan House District 11 Democratic primary results showing Moss winning with 49.2% of the vote
- Ballotpedia — Confirmation of four Democratic candidates and the August 4, 2026 primary date
- Wikipedia — Moss’s background as Michigan’s first openly queer state senator and president pro tempore
- Michigan Advance — Whitmer’s November 2025 endorsement of Moss and confirmation of Stevens vacating the seat
- GLAAD — Record number of LGBTQ members in the 119th Congress and Baldwin’s status as first openly gay senator
