A holdup in opening the new bridge between Michigan and Canada is now becoming a campaign issue in one of the nation’s most scrutinized Senate contests, with Democratic candidate Mallory McMorrow making the first major push to pin the dispute on President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
The span over the Detroit River, linking Detroit with Windsor, Ontario, had been scheduled for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 12. That ceremony was abruptly called off after officials said the United States and Canada were still trying to settle “outstanding issues.” The bridge’s opening has since been delayed with no new date announced.
For Democrats, the standoff creates an unusual chance to connect Trump to a concrete project with clear economic importance in a key swing state. For McMorrow, who is seeking traction in a three-way Democratic primary, it also gives her an opening to stand apart as the first candidate in the field to turn the bridge delay into a campaign argument. Her opponents are U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed.
The Democratic nominee is widely expected to meet Republican Mike Rogers in the general election. Rogers was defeated by now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024. He, too, has referenced the bridge in campaign messaging, saying that if voters send him to Washington, he will ensure it opens.
In a new advertisement filmed with the bridge behind her, McMorrow says the structure is ready for use but is still shut because “Donald Trump won’t open it.”
“I’m Mallory McMorrow and I have one message for the president: open this damn bridge,” she says.
McMorrow also contends that Trump is preventing the opening because “the billionaire family that owns the other bridge gave him a million bucks.”
That allegation points to the Moroun family, which owns the privately held Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor. Federal campaign finance filings show that Matthew Moroun gave $1 million earlier this year to Trump’s super PAC.
In February, Trump wrote in a social media post that Canada should cede at least half ownership of the bridge to the U.S. government and agree to other demands he did not specify. The message came amid his broader disputes with Canada over trade.
Michigan officials and the White House had been in contact for months about the bridge following Trump’s post, and invitations for the bridge’s opening went out this week after a conversation between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. But internal disagreements in the Trump administration, including pushback from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, threw the plans into question and helped delay the opening.
Canada paid for construction of the bridge. The deal behind the project was negotiated by former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican. Construction has been underway since 2018, and the cost has approached $4.4 billion.
The bridge is named for the late Canadian hockey legend Gordie Howe, who starred for 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. It is expected to become another major commercial link between the United States and Canada.
McMorrow is trying to gain momentum in a contest that many Michigan political observers increasingly view as a two-person race.
In an interview, McMorrow said she had been a “dark horse” from the beginning of the campaign. A state senator who gained national attention for a viral speech in 2022, she is competing against Stevens, a member of Congress with substantial financial backing. El-Sayed, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2018, has staked out the progressive wing of the race with the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The digital ad focused on the Gordie Howe bridge is the second in a series. It is part of an initial Detroit-area television and digital buy worth more than $400,000. The first ad, a 30-second television spot, was released Tuesday.
“Right now in this primary, my two opponents are trying to present a false binary choice,” McMorrow said.
Outside spending has also accelerated. A PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has spent nearly $8 million this month to support Stevens. Meanwhile, Yes Michigan Action Committee, a super PAC backing McMorrow, has reserved almost $6 million in advertising, according to AdImpact.
El-Sayed last week became the first Democrat in the race to pay directly for an advertisement from his own campaign.
“We have six weeks. I mean, anything can happen,” McMorrow said. “There are so many people who are just starting to tune into this race.”