Rising star Dem critical of Schumer's leadership launches 2026 bid in key Senate battleground

"We need new leaders. Because the same people in D.C. who got us into this mess are not going to be the ones to get us out of it," she added.

McMorrow, in her video announcement, also took aim at Trump and his top donor and White House advisor, billionaire Elon Musk.

"There's a lot of fear and anger and uncertainty right now about people in power who, frankly, have no business being there," she charged. 

McMorrow gained national attention in 2022, thanks to a viral speech she gave in the Michigan Senate as she forcefully pushed back against a Republican lawmaker who had accused her of "grooming" children.

And she grabbed more praise from fellow Democrats last summer, as she took aim at the GOP during a speech at the Democratic National Convention, as she held up an oversized copy of "Project 2025," the conservative blueprint that her party targeted.

McMorrow, who represents parts of Detroit and surrounding suburbs in Michigan's upper legislative chamber, is trying to do what few politicians have done in recent decades - move from the state Senate to the U.S. Senate.

Among the few to make that transition were former President Barack Obama and Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.

But thanks to her high national profile, McMorrow has built a sizable donor network from coast to coast.

McMorrow likely won't have the field for the Democratic Senate nomination to herself. 

Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet and Haley Stevens, are considering a run, as is Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

But last month, Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who later served as Transportation secretary in President Joe Biden's administration, ruled out a run after seriously considering a bid.

In the race for the GOP Senate nomination, former Rep. Mike Rogers announced at the end of January that he was "strongly considering" a second straight Republican run.

Fox News confirmed last month that Rogers would likely announce his campaign in the coming weeks. Rogers hired veteran Republican strategist and 2024 Trump's co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita as a senior advisor.

Rogers won the 2024 GOP Senate nomination in Michigan but narrowly lost to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats' nominee, in last November's election in the race to succeed longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who retired. Slotkin, who vastly outspent Rogers, edged him by roughly 19,000 votes, or a third of a percentage point.

Rogers is a former FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress.

Senate Republicans view the Democratic-held seat in Michigan as a top pick-up prospect in the 2026 midterms, as they work to increase their current 53-47 majority in the chamber.