With less than two weeks until Michigan’s contentious Democratic Senate primary, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) on Friday, offering a burst of momentum to the moderate Democrat’s campaign against progressive, anti-Israel firebrand Abdul El-Sayed. 

“Haley will do whatever it takes to get things done for people in Michigan, and we need her now more than ever,” Whitmer said in a video announcing the endorsement. 

Whitmer had conspicuously avoided making an endorsement in the race, which until weeks ago was a three-way contest between Stevens, El-Sayed and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow. After McMorrow dropped out, the race between Stevens and El-Sayed tightened. 

El-Sayed has made opposition to Israel a core tenet of his campaign, targeting Stevens for receiving backing from AIPAC and for supporting the U.S.-Israel relationship. 

In the endorsement video, Whitmer did not mention El-Sayed; she talked about Stevens as a candidate who will “get things done.”

“She knows what Michigan families are going through, and that’s how I know she will always put Michigan first,” Whitmer said.