Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens Endorses Republican Mike Rogers for Senate
Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens has endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the state's U.S. Senate race, two days before the election. Her decision has drawn sharp criticism from members of her own party.
Stevens made the endorsement on Sunday, November 1, at a church in Detroit where she joined Rogers, according to Axios and ClickOnDetroit. In a post on her X account, she wrote: "I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today."
The move comes after Stevens lost the Democratic primary for the seat to Abdul El-Sayed. A primary is an election within a party to choose its candidate, and the winner faces the other party's nominee in the general election. El-Sayed is now the Democratic nominee and Rogers's opponent.
The rift grew out of a dispute over an advertisement from an outside group, which blamed high cost of living on U.S. support for Israel. Stevens said she would appear at an El-Sayed campaign event if he denounced the ad, and his campaign disinvited her, according to The Guardian. Reuters reported that the endorsement came on the same day she was scheduled to appear with El-Sayed in a show of party unity.
In a CNN interview on Sunday evening, Stevens said, "I'm just casting my one vote this way," and said she still wanted Democrats to win the majority on Election Day.
Reaction from Democrats was swift. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, called the endorsement "a despicable betrayal." Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Stevens had "chosen to dangerously betray Michigan families' healthcare, freedoms and future." New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Stevens had betrayed working-class people.
Senate Democrats expressed support for El-Sayed as a fighter for working families' economic interests in Michigan. Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell said Michigan residents were focused on cost of living, healthcare and housing, not on Stevens' efforts to get attention.
Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said Stevens was not a member of the party "nor will she be in the future," according to The Guardian.
