Michigan’s Senate race entered its final hours in turmoil after Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican candidate Mike Rogers, despite previously saying she supported the Democratic ticket and criticizing Rogers as a reliable ally of the Trump administration.
Stevens lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed following a bitter nomination fight. On Sunday, she appeared alongside Rogers and announced that she would vote for him, citing what she described as a need to reject hate and stand with the country. She maintained that she remained a Democrat and said most of her other votes would go to Democratic candidates.
The endorsement followed a growing dispute between Stevens and El-Sayed over Israel and the war in Gaza. Stevens objected to an advertisement produced by the unaffiliated Rebellion PAC that linked military aid to Israel with higher grocery prices. She demanded that El-Sayed disavow the ad, while he said it was not produced by his campaign and was not relevant to Michigan voters.
Stevens also accused El-Sayed of making her unwelcome in his campaign. El-Sayed’s campaign responded that she appeared determined to revisit a primary that had ended three months earlier rather than focus on defeating Rogers.
The dispute intensified after Stevens’ fiancé, attorney Jason Turkish, made media appearances criticizing El-Sayed. Turkish, who has described himself as a pro-Israel Democrat and has family connections to Israel, argued that El-Sayed’s positions posed a threat to Jewish Michiganders. Former Michigan Gov. Jim Blanchard later said Turkish had pressed Stevens during a recent dinner over her decision to support the primary winner.
Stevens’ endorsement surprised Democrats who had spoken with her shortly beforehand. Rep. Debbie Dingell said Stevens had assured her that she remained committed to the Democratic ticket. Hours later, Stevens publicly backed Rogers instead.
El-Sayed dismissed the development and urged voters to focus on issues including school conditions, food costs, health care expenses and accountability for Donald Trump. His campaign reported raising $2.4 million on Sunday, its strongest fundraising day of the campaign. A New York Times/Siena poll released Monday showed El-Sayed ahead of Rogers, 53 percent to 42 percent.
Democratic leaders sharply criticized Stevens. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the endorsement a betrayal and described Rogers as an ally of Trump and wealthy donors. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it a terrible decision and said Stevens had isolated herself from the House Democratic caucus. Axios reported that some Democrats wanted her removed from the caucus.
Trump welcomed the endorsement, praising Stevens on Truth Social and describing her decision as an act of bravery.
Stevens later defended the decision in a CNN interview with Anderson Cooper. When Cooper pointed out that she was doing more than privately casting a ballot by publicly campaigning against the Democratic nominee, Stevens repeated that she was only one person and that she loved Michigan. Dingell, appearing immediately afterward, called the interview one of the most painful she had watched.
Sources: Rolling Stone.