Haley Stevens Endorses Republican Mike Rogers Over Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan Senate Race

Less than 48 hours before Election Day, Michigan’s tight U.S. Senate race took a sharp turn. Rep. Haley Stevens, the Democrat who narrowly lost the August primary to Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed Republican nominee Mike Rogers on Sunday, Nov. 1.

The Michigan Democratic Party responded the same day by kicking her out of its ranks. According to The Washington Post, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the endorsement “a despicable betrayal.”

Haley Stevens endorses Mike Rogers

Stevens made the move after a surprise appearance with Rogers at a Sunday service at Perfecting Church in Detroit, NPR and AP reported. She then posted a video on social media explaining her decision.

“As you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away, and he’s right,” Stevens said in the video, as quoted by NPR. “And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate today.”

AP reported that the endorsement came after Stevens was uninvited from a joint event with El-Sayed planned for the same day. AP described the race as tightly contested and one that could help decide the balance of power on Capitol Hill. Rogers is backed by President Donald Trump.

Abdul El-Sayed responds

Outside a “Souls to the Polls” event at a Detroit church, El-Sayed told reporters he doesn’t think about Stevens and that voters don’t either, NPR reported.

“None of this matters,” El-Sayed said, adding that what matters to voters are families worried about schools, feeding their kids and paying medical bills.

Michigan Democrats expel Stevens

The state party acted quickly. “Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future,” party chair Curtis Hertel said in a post on X, according to The Washington Post.

How the split happened: Hasan Piker, Israel and Jason Turkish

The rift had been building for months, mostly over Israel and El-Sayed’s campaign associations.

• Hasan Piker: In her endorsement, Stevens said she does “not stand with Hasan Piker,” a streamer El-Sayed campaigned with during the primary. NPR reported that in August, after Piker implied that Jews’ support for Israel puts them at risk of personal violence, El-Sayed distanced himself and said Piker did not speak for the campaign. He stopped short of disavowing him.
• Haley Stevens’ fiance: Tensions rose after Stevens’ fiance, Jason Turkish, said he planned to vote for Rogers. Stevens said on TV afterward that she still planned to back the Democratic nominee, NPR reported.
• The Cenk Uygur ad: Stevens urged El-Sayed to denounce a recent ad by Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks that blamed Israel for high grocery prices in the U.S., according to NPR.

Within days, the relationship broke down completely, ending with Stevens on stage with the Republican.

Who is Haley Stevens?

Stevens is a Democratic member of the U.S. House from Michigan. She ran for the open Senate seat this year and lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed by a slim margin in August, AP reported. Her name is sometimes misspelled “Hayley.”

Michigan Senate race: what happens next

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Besides El-Sayed and Rogers, the ballot includes several third-party candidates. No results are in yet, and this post does not predict a winner.

It is unclear how much one endorsement this late will move voters. Michigan offers early and absentee voting, so some ballots were cast before the endorsement. Still, the open split among Democrats in the final weekend became one of the biggest stories in a race both parties see as important for control of the Senate.