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Haley Stevens backs Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race, days before the vote
Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens, backed the Republican running against Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday, months after losing the party's Senate primary to him, drawing condemnation from Democratic leaders and the resignation of much of her own staff.
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What happened
Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the state's Senate race on Sunday, November 1, two days before Tuesday's midterm elections. She appeared with Rogers at a church service at Perfecting Church in Detroit and then announced her support in a video posted to X, the Guardian and the BBC reported.
"I don't belong in Abdul's campaign," Stevens said in the video, according to the BBC. Speaking to reporters outside the church, she said El-Sayed had made clear she was not welcome in his campaign and that he did not want her there.
The appearance ended abruptly. TheWrap reported that a heckler shouted that Stevens was a "traitor" as she answered a question about backing a candidate whose policies she had opposed, and that she and Rogers then left without taking further questions.
How the feud began
Stevens narrowly lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed, a former public health official whom the BBC described as representing the party's left wing, while Stevens is a centrist who had the backing of Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The Guardian reported that she had refused for months to campaign for him before top Democrats brokered a truce and she offered a lukewarm endorsement.
The split reopened last week over Israel. Stevens, a firm supporter of Israel, called on El-Sayed to denounce an advertisement from an outside group that tied US support for Israel to rising prices; TheWrap said she described the ad as antisemitic. El-Sayed said he disagreed with the ad and had nothing to do with it, but declined to meet her demand and accused her of reopening a primary that had ended three months earlier, according to the Guardian and TheWrap.
Stevens had been due to join El-Sayed at a unity event in Detroit on Sunday. The BBC reported that he asked her not to come, and TheWrap quoted him as saying on Saturday that he would rather not distract from the campaign's key issues.
The reaction
Democrats responded sharply. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the endorsement "a despicable betrayal," the BBC reported. Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel said in a statement that Stevens had abandoned everything she claimed to care about.
Members of Stevens' own team quit. The Guardian, citing CNN's Manu Raju, reported that her longtime chief of staff, Justin German, and her communications director, Logan Basch, were among those who left. German then issued a statement on behalf of the team backing El-Sayed and saying they were "shocked and heartbroken" by her decision. Senator Bernie Sanders and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also criticized Stevens, the Guardian said.
Republicans welcomed the move. Rogers said the endorsement showed courage, and President Donald Trump, speaking at a rally in Iowa, called Stevens "very brave" and said he would like her to join the Republican Party, the BBC reported. El-Sayed told reporters he was focused on the problems facing Michigan voters. "I don't think about Haley Stevens," he said on Sunday, according to the BBC.
Why the race matters
Analysts consider the Michigan contest one of the closest Senate races on Tuesday's ballot, the BBC reported. The seat is held by a retiring Democrat, and a Republican last won it in 1994. Michigan voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and for Trump in 2024.
The stakes for control of the chamber are high. According to the BBC, Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win back the Senate, and losing Michigan would leave them needing to flip five. Some voters the BBC spoke to in Detroit called the endorsement a betrayal, while a Rogers supporter said she doubted it would change anyone's mind.
Key points
- Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers on November 1, after losing the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed.
- The break followed a dispute over an outside group's ad that linked US support for Israel to rising prices.
- Chuck Schumer and Michigan Democratic leaders condemned the move, and much of Stevens' staff resigned and backed El-Sayed.
- Michigan is one of the closest Senate races in the November 3 midterms, with control of the chamber at stake.
Sources
- Democrat Haley Stevens endorses Abdul El-Sayed’s Republican rival Mike Rogers theguardian.com
- Democrat endorses Republican candidate in key Michigan Senate race as party spat escalates bbc.co.uk
- Haley Stevens Pulls Plug on Presser While Heckled as ‘Traitor’ for Endorsing Mike Rogers thewrap.com
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