Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who lost the Michigan Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, has endorsed his Republican rival Mike Rogers, an extraordinary rebuke of her own party's nominee on the eve of the midterm elections. The endorsement came in a video posted to X after she attended an event with Rogers at the predominantly Black Perfecting church in Detroit on Sunday. It marked the culmination of an escalating feud between the former primary rivals in one of the most fiercely contested Senate contests of the cycle.
The endorsement drew immediate pushback from Democrats. Neera Tanden, a former senior adviser to President Joe Biden, wrote on X that standing with Rogers amounted to a "betrayal" of everything Stevens had fought for throughout her career and of the supporters who believed in her, adding that she hoped El-Sayed would win a strong victory on Tuesday and that Democrats and like-minded independents would vote for him.
Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel said Stevens' decision to campaign with Rogers — whom he described as having repeatedly sold out Michigan's working class, wanting to pass a national abortion ban and pledging to be a loyal vote for Trump's agenda — showed she had abandoned everything she claims to care about. He said the party rejected attempts by Stevens and "bad-faith actors" to divide Democrats and undermine their momentum, and would not let such eleventh-hour distractions deter them.
Some of the people who worked on Stevens' campaign also reportedly quit following the Rogers endorsement. According to CNN correspondent Manu Raju, her long-time chief of staff Justin German and her communications director Logan Basch were among those who left.
Stevens had lost the primary by a close margin and for months had refused to openly campaign for El-Sayed, as had his other opponent, Mallory McMorrow. Top Democrats had brokered a truce between El-Sayed and Stevens, and after the two had sparred viciously during the primary campaign she extended him a tepid endorsement. This weekend she had been scheduled to join El-Sayed at a predominantly Black church in Detroit's North End.
Those plans unraveled over the issue of Israel, which had divided the two perhaps more than any other. Late last week, Stevens, a staunch supporter of Israel, made clear that her appearance alongside El-Sayed was conditional on his denouncing an outside group's campaign ad that blamed US support for Israel for the rising cost of living. El-Sayed declined the request, accusing her of needlessly reopening debates from a settled primary. As the feud escalated, his campaign formally disinvited Stevens from his campaign events in the closing days of the race.
Michigan congresswoman Debbie Dingell later told CNN that she had been the one to tell Stevens "this isn't working" regarding her planned Sunday appearance with El-Sayed. Dingell added that the tensions between the two were a distraction and that there was nothing to be gained by the two of them being in the same place.
Earlier on Sunday, Stevens had issued a statement saying she expected El-Sayed to win and urging people to vote. Just hours later she appeared with Donald Trump's Senate pick, and in one comment said she supported Rogers' purported future investment in Black businesses.
As the political firestorm unfolded, Democratic commentators also pointed out that Stevens' fiance, Jason Turkish, has been condemning El-Sayed publicly while supporting Rogers. Turkish, who is also vocally pro-Israel, has donated heavily to Democrats in the past but this year also donated to Republican candidates including Susan Collins.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did not name Stevens on Sunday but pushed a unity message, saying Senate Democrats are united in their support for El-Sayed because he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Rogers, whom he called a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors. Schumer said Democrats were equally united in their revulsion at what he described as racist, Islamophobic and over-the-top false attacks on El-Sayed by Republicans, calling them evidence of the bankruptcy of the Republican Party.
Sources: The Guardian World.