Two days before the midterm elections, Michigan Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate, turning against her own party’s nominee, Abdul El-Sayed.
Stevens lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed in August. She backed him after that. On Sunday, she changed course. Top Democrats called it a betrayal. President Donald Trump called it brave.
What happened
- Sunday morning: Stevens attended a service at Perfecting Church in Detroit with Rogers.
- Soon after, she posted a short video endorsing him.
- Her longtime chief of staff, Justin German, said he and “many members” of her team resigned before the endorsement.
- Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
“I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign,” Stevens said in the video. She added that she is “still a very proud Democrat.”
Why she switched
Stevens had asked El-Sayed to condemn an ad by an outside group, Rebellion PAC. She said the ad was antisemitic. USA Today reported that the ad blamed Israel for high grocery prices. El-Sayed accused Stevens of being “intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago.” NBC News reported Saturday that his campaign asked her to stop attending its events.
Stevens also criticized El-Sayed for campaigning with Hasan Piker, a left-wing online streamer.
What each side says
Rogers said he was “honored” by her support. He called it “a statement about standing together against hate.”
El-Sayed brushed it off. “At the end of the day, I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens,” he told reporters in Detroit. He said he would rather talk about gas and grocery prices.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the move “a despicable betrayal.” He said Senate Democrats are “united” behind El-Sayed.
At a rally in Dubuque, Iowa, Trump called Stevens “brave” and said he would love her to join the Republican Party. He also attacked El-Sayed, falsely calling him a “jihadist,” according to USA Today. If he wins, El-Sayed would be the first Muslim American elected to the Senate.
Why this race matters
Michigan’s Senate seat is open, with no incumbent running. It is one of the closest races in the country and could help decide which party controls the Senate.
- Republicans hold the Senate 53-47.
- Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win control. A net gain is the seats a party flips, minus any it loses.
- El-Sayed led Rogers by 3.5 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics polling average, according to USA Today.
What comes next
Michigan voters head to the polls Tuesday. NPR reports that vote counting starts Tuesday night but could take days in close Senate races. It is not yet clear how Stevens’ decision will affect the result.
