Rep. Haley Stevens Endorses Republican Mike Rogers Over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed Two Days Before Michigan Senate Vote

Since Stevens lost the Aug. 4 Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed by roughly one percentage point, party leaders have tried to hold the two together. That effort collapsed today, Sunday, Nov. 1, two days before Election Day.

Stevens attended a service at Perfecting Church in Detroit alongside Rogers, the Republican nominee and a former congressman. Hours later she posted a video on X endorsing him.

"Our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away," Stevens said. "And he's right. And that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today."

She added: "I don't belong in Abdul's campaign. I do not stand with Hasan Piker." Piker is a political streamer who has campaigned with El-Sayed.

How the rift opened

The blowup began Friday. Stevens said she would not appear with El-Sayed unless he denounced an ad from an outside group, Rebellion PAC, and apologized for his criticism of Israel. The ad attacks Rogers over his support for Israel and suggests U.S. aid to Israel is why Americans are paying more for groceries.

Stevens called it antisemitic. In a Friday statement she said the ad tells Michigan families "they cannot afford groceries because their money has to be set aside for 'killing Palestinians.'"

El-Sayed's campaign said the ad was "not affiliated in any way" with him. He accused Stevens of being "intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago." On Saturday night Stevens said she was glad to see that El-Sayed does not agree with the ad's content.

By Saturday, a Democratic source told MS NOW, El-Sayed's campaign had asked Stevens to stay away from its remaining events. The two had been scheduled to make their first joint appearance since August at a Detroit church with Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina.

Rep. Debbie Dingell, who helped organize the event, told CNN she was the one who told Stevens "this isn't working." Dingell said the dispute had become a distraction and that "there's nothing to be gained by the two of them being in the same place." Fox News reported that Dingell also said it had upset the church's bishop.

Rogers and the aftermath

Stevens greeted Rogers with a hug at the church. She told reporters she supported investing in Black-owned businesses, "and that is a policy that Mike's going to take on." Later, at a press conference in Detroit, she said: "I'm sorry people are upset. I understand that."

Rogers said he was honored to have earned her vote. "This is more a statement about standing together against hate and the future of this state and this country than it is anything else," he told reporters.

Stevens said she remains "a very proud Democrat." Earlier Sunday, according to The Guardian, she had put out a statement saying she expected El-Sayed to win and urging people to vote.

Her fiancé, Jason Turkish, endorsed Rogers earlier and appeared at a Rogers event, citing El-Sayed's positions on Israel. Stevens had described the two of them as a "household divided" in a CNN interview Wednesday. Turkish has donated heavily to Democrats in the past but also gave to Republican candidates this year, including Sen. Susan Collins, The Guardian reported.

Staff fallout came quickly. The Detroit News reported that members of Stevens' official staff resigned Sunday. A person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that her longtime chief of staff resigned and others were expected to follow. Stevens' office has not publicly detailed the departures.

The Democratic response

The Michigan Democratic Party rejected the move. Chair Curtis Hertel called Rogers "Donald Trump's hand-picked candidate" and accused him of wanting "to pass a national abortion ban." Those are Hertel's characterizations.

"The Michigan Democratic Party stands united and fully behind Abdul El-Sayed," Hertel said. He said the party rejects "attempts by Stevens and bad-faith actors to divide our party and undermine our momentum."

While Stevens sat with Rogers, El-Sayed attended services at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ across the city. The Associated Press covered both services. Dingell said earlier in the day: "United we stand, divided we fall."

A former consultant to Stevens' primary campaign, Caitlin Legacki, had criticized Turkish on Saturday, saying he was damaging Stevens' political future. Her comment predates today's endorsement.

What is at stake Tuesday

The race is one of the tightest Senate contests in the country, according to polls cited by the New York Post. Peters, a Democrat, is not seeking re-election. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win a Senate majority, so losing Michigan would make that harder.

El-Sayed would be the first Muslim U.S. senator if elected. The Democratic push in the final days has focused on turnout among Black and Jewish voters, according to the Associated Press.

No poll has yet measured the effect of Stevens' endorsement. Voters decide Tuesday, Nov. 3.