Michigan Democrat Stevens Endorses Republican Rogers in Final Days of Senate Race

Haley Stevens, the Democratic congresswoman from Michigan, announced on Sunday that she is endorsing Republican Mike Rogers for the United States Senate. The move places her in opposition to Abdul El-Sayed, her own party's nominee, with just two days remaining before voters cast their ballots in the general election.

Stevens lost the Democratic primary for the Senate seat in August to El-Sayed, a former public health official who would become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate if he wins. Despite the bitter primary contest, Stevens had pledged support for El-Sayed as recently as Wednesday. Her shift in position follows weeks of public friction between the two candidates regarding Israel and US military aid to the country.

The immediate trigger for the endorsement was a dispute over an advertisement released last week by Rebellion PAC, an independent group supporting El-Sayed. The ad depicted a couple putting back a carton of eggs to save money for killing Palestinians. Stevens labeled the ad anti-Semitic and demanded that El-Sayed condemn it. She also criticized his suggestion that funds allocated to Israel could be redirected to schools, healthcare, and childcare.

El-Sayed stated that the advertisement was not produced by his campaign and that he disagreed with its message. He argued that Stevens was attempting to relitigate their primary battle rather than focusing on defeating Rogers. The tension culminated on Sunday when Stevens and El-Sayed were scheduled to attend a church service together to demonstrate Democratic unity.

Stevens said she was uninvited to the service. In a video posted on X, she said, Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away. She added that this decision was the reason she was endorsing Rogers that day. However, Debbie Dingell, a Democratic congresswoman who helped organize the event, told The Associated Press that she was the one who asked Stevens not to attend because it had become way too distracting.

Stevens also took issue with El-Sayed's association with political streamer Hasan Piker. Piker's uncle, Cenk Uygur, founded the PAC that released the controversial ad. Standing beside Rogers on Sunday, Stevens told reporters, We can't stand with hate. We can't stand with Hasan Piker. She maintained that she remains a Democrat and intends to vote for Democratic candidates in 90 percent of the races on her ballot.

The endorsement has triggered a sharp reaction from senior Democratic figures. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the move a despicable betrayal. He said he was less interested in the political aspects of the endorsement than in the policy differences between El-Sayed and Rogers. Schumer urged voters to focus on healthcare and civil rights rather than the internal party dynamics.

The decision also caused internal turmoil within Stevens's own operation. Justin German, her chief of staff for eight years, announced that he and several other staff members were resigning over the endorsement. In a statement shared by CNN, German said the team was shocked and heartbroken by Stevens's decision to support Rogers.

President Donald Trump celebrated the endorsement on Truth Social on Sunday. He wrote, Wow, this is BIG! and added that Haley said what few people are willing to say, describing the move as a thing called bravery.

The race is closely contested and may determine which party controls the US Senate. Republicans currently hold both chambers of Congress. Democrats are seeking to win enough seats to challenge President Trump's agenda and increase scrutiny of his administration. Stevens defeated El-Sayed in Wayne County, which includes Detroit, and in neighboring Oakland County. Both counties are Democratic strongholds where turnout will be decisive. Polling from Reuters indicates that El-Sayed has largely consolidated Democratic support, though early voting began on October 24, before the latest dispute emerged.