Stevens backs Rogers in Michigan Senate race after El-Sayed dispute
The former primary rival endorsed the Republican candidate Sunday, citing a public falling out with the Democratic nominee days before the election.
By Elijah Fitzgerald ·
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan Senate on Sunday, breaking from her party days before the general election.
The endorsement followed a dispute with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed over a joint campaign event. Stevens, who lost the August primary to El-Sayed, attended a church service with Rogers in Detroit. She said El-Sayed told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. In a video announcing her support, Stevens stated, "Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away." She added that her decision to support Rogers was a direct result of that exclusion.
El-Sayed downplayed the move when asked by reporters later that day. He said his focus remains on the cost of living for voters. "At the end of the day I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens," El-Sayed said. He later added that the endorsement did not change his strategy. The tension between the two Democrats has persisted since the primary, driven by differences on U.S. support for Israel and criticism of El-Sayed’s past remarks regarding a synagogue attack.
The split occurred just as Democrats sought to unify voters in key Detroit area communities. Stevens and her fiancé, Jason Turkish, worshipped with Rogers and his wife, Kristi, at Perfecting Church. Meanwhile, El-Sayed campaigned at a different house of worship with Rep. Jim Clyburn and Rep. Debbie Dingell. Dingell said she asked Stevens not to attend the joint event because the situation had become distracting. "I’m the one who pulled it because it had become way too distracting," Dingell said in a telephone interview. Stevens confirmed that she had agreed to stay away from the event.
The endorsement has caused internal turmoil in Stevens’ campaign. Her longtime chief of staff resigned, and other staff members are expected to follow. The state Democratic chair, Curtis Hertel, called the move an abandonment of party values. He wrote that Stevens is no longer a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also criticized the decision, calling it a betrayal in a social media post. Republicans welcomed the news, with President Donald Trump praising Stevens for her loyalty to Michigan voters in a Truth Social post.
The race is closely contested, with early voting open since October 24. More than 1.8 million people had voted in Michigan as of Friday. In the 2022 midterm election, 4.5 million ballots were cast in the state, a record for a nonpresidential year. Stevens had previously pledged to support El-Sayed after losing the primary, but the two have not appeared together publicly since a breakfast held two days after the August election. The seat is being vacated by retiring Democrat Gary Peters, and the winner will help determine the balance of power in the Senate for the final two years of the current administration.
