Stevens Flips Support to Republican Rogers in Last-Minute Blow to Michigan Democrats
DETROIT — Less than 48 hours before Election Day, Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens stunned party leaders in Michigan and Washington by pulling her support from Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and endorsing Republican candidate Mike Rogers in the U.S. Senate race. Around 11 a.m. On Sunday, party leaders expected Stevens to join El-Sayed for a unified campaign appearance. Instead, she arrived at Perfecting Church in Detroit to sit beside Rogers, her former primary opponent’s GOP rival. “Abdul made very clear that I wasn’t welcome in his campaign, that he didn’t need me there, that he didn’t want me there,” Stevens told reporters while standing alongside Rogers. “I did endorse the Democratic nominee, and he chose to close this campaign by saying I wasn’t welcome.”
Standing with the Republican candidate, Stevens maintained that her decision was isolated to this contest. “I’m not trying to harm anyone,” she said. “I’ve worked really hard for Democrats. I’m not turning my back on Democrats. It’s one vote. When you see repeated hate, it’s not acceptable. I still love the party.”
Fierce Backlash and Staff Resignations
The sudden endorsement sparked swift condemnation across the Democratic Party. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called her decision a “despicable betrayal.” In Michigan, Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel posted on X that Stevens was no longer a party member and wouldn’t be welcomed back in the future. Internal fallout inside her own office was immediate. Justin German, Stevens’ chief of staff for eight years, announced that he and several congressional staff members resigned Sunday morning, stating they were “shocked and heartbroken” by her decision to back Rogers. Other state leaders weighed in on the intra-party split. Michigan State Rep. Noah Arbit posted on X that while he had shared severe concerns about El-Sayed’s rhetoric, “the sane answer for anyone who claims to care about democracy, rule of law, minorities can’t be to embrace Rogers’ disgusting, dangerous Islamophobia.”
Failed Attempts at Unity
The rupture follows months of tension after the August primary, where El-Sayed narrowly defeated Stevens by roughly 1 percent. In the final stretch before the election, Rep. Debbie Dingell tried to arrange a joint turnout event at a Detroit church featuring Stevens, El-Sayed, and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. By Friday, Stevens set strict conditions for participating, demanding that El-Sayed apologize for past inflammatory remarks and repudiate an online advertisement—produced by Cenk Uygur’s Young Turks outlet—that linked U.S. Aid to Israel with rising grocery prices. As late as Saturday night, Stevens assured colleagues, including Dingell and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., that she wouldn’t pull her endorsement. Hours later, she skipped the planned event to appear with Rogers six miles away. Reflecting on the fallout, Dingell expressed disbelief over the late-stage turn. “I was shocked when I saw what happened on Sunday,” Dingell said in an interview on Monday. “I’m worried for her. I was very sad to watch her interview last night.”