Democrat Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race two days before midterms
Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens, who lost the Michigan Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, has endorsed his Republican opponent Mike Rogers, appearing with him at a Detroit church on Sunday, two days before the midterm elections.
Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens has endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the United States Senate in Michigan, in a dramatic break with her own party just two days before the midterm elections. Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary for the seat to Abdul El-Sayed in August, announced her endorsement on Sunday, 1 November, after appearing alongside Rogers at a church service in Detroit.
Stevens appeared with Rogers and his wife at a service at Perfecting Church on Detroit's east side at around 11.20 am on Sunday. Hours later she posted a video on social media announcing her decision, in terms that left no doubt about the personal nature of the split. She said El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee, had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign and should stay away. And he's right, she said. That's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today. I don't belong in Abdul's campaign.
The endorsement is the culmination of a dispute that has been building for weeks. Stevens had called on El-Sayed to condemn an advertisement from an outside political action committee that linked United States military aid to Israel with rising grocery prices, an advertisement she described as antisemitic. She has also criticised El-Sayed's campaigning with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who has become a lightning rod in the race over his comments about Israel and Jewish Americans. Stevens, an establishment Democrat and strong supporter of Israel, had recently reaffirmed that she would vote for El-Sayed, who would become the country's first Muslim senator if elected on Tuesday, making Sunday's reversal all the more striking.
Sunday had been supposed to look very different. Stevens was initially due to appear at a Democratic unity church event with El-Sayed and South Carolina congressman Jim Clyburn. Instead, according to reports, congresswoman Debbie Dingell, who helped organise that event, asked Stevens not to come because her presence had become too distracting. Stevens and her fiance then attended the service with Rogers, a move that signalled, even before the video, that the break was complete.
The reaction from Democratic leaders was swift and furious. Michigan Democratic Party chairman Curtis Hertel said Stevens had abandoned everything she claims to care about, and that Democrats would not let the late dispute distract them from the race. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the endorsement a despicable betrayal, said Senate Democrats were united in support of El-Sayed, and described Rogers as a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors. Schumer's intervention underlined what is at stake for Democrats nationally, since control of the Senate could turn on a handful of seats.
Rogers, a former congressman backed by President Donald Trump, welcomed the endorsement. He had praised Stevens on Friday as a courageous leader, before her decision was public, and Trump himself praised her move on Sunday. For the Rogers campaign, an endorsement from a Democratic congresswoman, delivered in person at a Detroit church and then in a video to her own supporters, is a powerful closing argument in a race where persuading voters beyond the Republican base may prove decisive.
El-Sayed responded by trying to move the conversation back to the issues voters say matter most. He said he was less interested in the campaign back-and-forth than in the cost of living and other issues facing Michigan families. That response reflects a calculation that engaging directly with Stevens risks keeping the story alive for days, while focusing on prices, jobs and healthcare may speak more directly to undecided voters in the final 48 hours.
The stakes in Michigan are high for both parties. The seat is open, and it is one of a handful of the most closely watched Senate contests in the country. Republicans currently lead the Senate 53-47, and Democrats need to hold seats like Michigan to have a realistic route back to a majority for the remaining two years of Trump's term. Michigan's outcome will also be read as a test of how far internal Democratic divisions, particularly over Israel and the party's direction, can affect a general election when they spill into public in the final days.
Whether Stevens' endorsement changes votes is the question that will only be answered on Tuesday. Endorsements from defeated primary rivals are normally a routine part of party unity; an endorsement of the opposing party's candidate is vanishingly rare, and its effect is hard to predict. It could persuade some Stevens supporters, particularly those who backed her in the primary and share her views on Israel, to follow her to Rogers. It could equally harden Democratic turnout, as party leaders frame the move as a betrayal and rally their base around El-Sayed.
For now, the race enters its final two days transformed. A contest that was already tight and closely watched now carries an additional storyline that neither campaign fully controls, driven by a video, a church appearance and a very public falling-out. Voters in Michigan will decide on Tuesday whether Stevens' break with her party is a footnote to the campaign or the moment that decided it.
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