Michigan Democratic lawmaker Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Gary Peters, two days before the election.
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Two days before the U.S. midterm election, Michigan Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens publicly endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate, breaking with her party’s nominee, Abdul El-Sayed.
Stevens said the endorsement came after she attended a Detroit church service with Rogers. In a video announcing the decision, Stevens said: “Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” adding, “And he's right. And that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today.”
El-Sayed dismissed the endorsement when asked by reporters, saying he is focused on issues voters care about, including the high cost of living. He said, “At the end of the day I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens,” and later added, “None of this matters.”
The endorsement followed days of public tension within Democrats during the final stretch of the race to replace retiring Democrat Gary Peters in the Senate. The reporting said the discord intensified after Stevens was uninvited to a joint appearance that day with El-Sayed and after a dispute involving Israel-related messaging.
Stevens and her team were reported to have faced fallout immediately after the announcement, with her chief of staff resigning and additional staff expected to follow soon, according to the evidence provided.
Stevens’ endorsement was denounced by Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel, who said Stevens “has abandoned everything she claims to care about.” Hertel also said his party rejects “the attempts by Stevens and bad-faith actors to divide our party and undermine our momentum,” adding that it will not allow “these eleventh-hour distractions” to deter the effort.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also criticized Stevens, calling it “a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens.”
The evidence said party tensions have included disagreements tied to support for Israel, contrasting Stevens’ position with El-Sayed’s criticism of the U.S. ally. It also noted concerns raised by some community members about past remarks involving a Michigan synagogue attack and appearances involving streamer Hasan Piker.
Before the vote, early voting had begun on Oct. 24, according to the provided material, complicating Democrats’ closing messaging as they sought turnout among Black and Jewish voters in key areas including Detroit.
The reporting described the Democratic primary as particularly bitter, with both candidates exchanging personal attacks and outside spending flowing into the race. It said an outside group backed Stevens and that El-Sayed objected to an outside advertisement that accused him of disrespecting women.
Stevens had previously said publicly that she would vote for El-Sayed, and the evidence said she had not appeared with him together since a unity breakfast shortly after his August primary win. It also referenced further public statements by Stevens in which she urged shutting down what she called hate and calling it out.
In an earlier exchange over campaign messaging, the evidence said Stevens called on El-Sayed to condemn an ad by an independent left-wing group that linked U.S. support for Israel to high grocery prices, writing: “Abdul promises to get money out of politics,” and adding, “He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford.”
El-Sayed responded that the ad was not made by his campaign and said: “So while Congresswoman Stevens seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago, let’s all focus on the task at hand,” and added, “I do not agree with the contents of that ad.”
The provided evidence also said that U.S. President Donald Trump praised Stevens in a Truth Social post as “a Highly Respected Democrat,” and his message characterized her support among Black and Jewish voters in Michigan as “virtually unprecedented.”
The election in question is Tuesday, with the seat at stake held by retiring Democrat Gary Peters and the contest between Rogers and El-Sayed described as tightly contested in the evidence provided.
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