Democratic primary contender Elizabeth Warren is the latest presidential hopeful to support campaign fundraising for U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township.

Supporters of Peters’ 2020 reelection campaign received a fundraising email on Sunday, Aug. 11 addressed from Warren, one of the top-polling Democrats running to challenge President Donald Trump. Warren noted Peters is one of two Democratic senators facing reelection in a state Trump won in 2016, making the race a key battle in Democrats’ fight to take majority control of the Senate.

“If Gary loses in Michigan, the path to a Democratic Senate majority gets significantly more narrow,” Warren wrote in the email. “That’s why I’m asking for your donation.”

The fundraising email was part of a push to raise $20,000 before midnight Sunday. Peters raised $4.3 million for his re-election campaign as of June 30 and has $4.7 million cash on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Fellow Democratic primary candidates U.S Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., put their name on campaign fundraising emails in December 2018 and January. Booker said Peters is dedicated to improving the lives of Michiganders, while Gillibrand called Peters a “fierce champion for our shared progressive values in the Senate."

Peters has not endorsed any candidate in the 2020 Democratic primary.

“Senator Peters’ fellow Democrats understand that winning here in Michigan is central to the party’s chances of taking back the Senate, and that’s why so many of his colleagues are voicing their support for his campaign," the Peters campaign said in a statement. "Senator Peters has had good working relationships with all of his Senate colleagues running for president, working with them on important issues like bringing down health care costs, expanding job training to close the skills gap, and protecting the Great Lakes. He has no plans to endorse any campaign at this time.”

Creating “big, structural change” a key aspect of Warren’s 2020 campaign. The progressive Democrat argues the country is suffers from systemic corruption, and making sure America works for everyone, not just the rich and powerful, depends on Democrats taking majority control of the Senate.

“Gary is exactly the sort of public servant who will fight for a country where everyone’s on equal footing – a country where people won’t go broke for good healthcare or make less money simply for being a woman,” Warren wrote. “We need him in the Senate.”

It's simple. We have to take back the Senate. We have to win in Michigan. https://t.co/HNdE1sFXfY — Gary Peters (@GaryPeters) August 11, 2019

Peters’ fate could depend on how Trump performs in Michigan. The president became the first Republican to carry Michigan since 1988 but only by a slim 0.3% margin, setting up a competitive race in 2020.

The presidential race is expected to affect other races down the ballot. Trump endorsed GOP challenger John James, adding his name to a recent fundraising email.

Republicans are dumping money into the race. James has $1.7 million to spend on his campaign, as of June 30, and $2.1 million was spent by outside organizations to support him.

James, an African American businessman, veteran and relative newcomer to politics, was statistically tied with Peters in a March poll of Michigan voters conducted by Emerson College. Warren noted the Peters is in a “dead heat with his opponent” in the fundraising email.

Warren is polling in third place among the crowded Democratic primary field, sitting less than two percentage points behind U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and behind by double digits to front-runner Joe Biden. Polls show Warren and Sanders gained support since the Democratic debate in Detroit.

Peters, Warren, Booker and Gillibrand have served together in the Senate since 2015. The senators are cosponsors on several bills introduced this year, but Peters has a much smaller national profile than the presidential candidates.

Republicans have attempted to define Peters’ image based on a Morning Consult poll showing 40% of likely Michigan voters don’t have an opinion of him. The National Republican Senatorial Committee started calling the senator “Jerry Peters” in attack ads.

“The Senate is chock-full of big egos and sound bites written for cable news. But you won’t see any of that from Gary,” Warren wrote. “We’ve worked together for years, and he has the priorities of Michiganders at heart.”

NRSC spokesperson Nathan Brand said Warren’s support will “haunt” Peters.

The NRSC paired Peters and Warren together on a billboard purchased before the Detroit Democratic debate in July. The billboard claimed Peters, Warren and Sanders “want to take your steak" by supporting The Green New Deal, a non-binding House resolution supporting action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Green New Deal has been widely mocked by Republicans who say removing emissions from the agricultural sector would get rid of methane-releasing cows. Peters expressed support for “aspects of the plan.”

“Whether Democrats nominate Warren, Sanders, or any of the presidential candidates, Peters will struggle to answer for his party’s socialist agenda,” Brand said.

Peters remains a favorite in the race among pundits.

Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rate Peters seat is “likely” to remain Democratic. Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics predicts the race “leans” toward the Democrats.