Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat who narrowly lost the Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, has endorsed Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate. The late decision prompted strong condemnation from Democrats, while Donald Trump praised Stevens and invited her to consider joining the Republican Party.
Stevens announced her support for Rogers after a dispute with the El-Sayed campaign over an advertisement produced by an outside group. The ad blamed the high cost of living on US support for Israel. Stevens had said she would attend a campaign event if El-Sayed denounced it, but his campaign subsequently disinvited her.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, called the endorsement “a despicable betrayal”. He said Senate Democrats supported El-Sayed because they believed he would defend Michigan working families’ economic interests, unlike Rogers, whom Schumer described as a tool of Trump and billionaire donors.
Nancy Pelosi said Stevens had “chosen to dangerously betray Michigan families’ healthcare, freedoms and future” through the endorsement. Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York, said working-class voters’ lives were at stake and accused Stevens of backing the Republican she had said she wanted to oppose.
Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic party, said Stevens was no longer a member of the party and would not be one in the future. In a video shared by Detroit journalist Sam Robinson, Hertel said the endorsement appeared to reflect resentment over the primary but added that he saw no reasonable explanation for it.
Debbie Dingell, a Democratic representative from Michigan, said voters were focused on the cost of living, healthcare and housing rather than what she described as Stevens’ efforts to attract attention.
Some Democrats and Jewish leaders also criticized the El-Sayed advertisement. However, Democratic congressional nominees Brad Lander and Daniel Bliss, who are both Jewish, issued a statement urging voters to support El-Sayed without mentioning Stevens. They framed the election as a choice between accountability, affordability and a more equitable democratic future on one side, and a party they accused of stoking hatred and weakening anti-discrimination efforts on the other.
Trump praised Stevens’ endorsement on Truth Social and called her a “highly respected Democrat”. Speaking at a campaign rally in Dubuque, Iowa, he said he would like Stevens to join the Republican Party, describing her decision as evidence of loyalty to Michigan voters.
Sources: The Guardian World.