Who Is Jason Turkish? Haley Stevens' Fiancé Backed Mike Rogers Days Before She Did, as Fallout Grows

Before Rep. Haley Stevens stunned Michigan Democrats on Sunday by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate, someone close to her had already done the same. On Oct. 28, her fiancé, attorney Jason Turkish, told reporters he planned to vote for Rogers over Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.

With the election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, here is who Turkish is, what he said and how the fallout from Stevens’ switch has spread.

Who is Jason Turkish?

Turkish is a Detroit-area lawyer from Huntington Woods. He is president and managing partner of Nyman Turkish PC, a disability and litigation law firm with offices in Michigan, California and Florida, according to the firm’s website. The Washington Examiner described him as a disabilities and civil rights attorney.

According to his firm’s biography:

• He has been legally blind since birth.
• He represented two blind law school applicants in a 2019 settlement with the Law School Admission Council that led to changes in how blind applicants are tested.
• He has served on the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board and on the advisory committee that recommends federal judicial candidates for Michigan’s Eastern District.
• He holds a political science degree from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Northwestern.

Deadline Detroit and the Washington Examiner both described Turkish as Jewish and a Democrat.

What Turkish said about Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed

Turkish told The Detroit News, as reported by Deadline Detroit, that he planned to vote for Rogers because he had become convinced El-Sayed, a vocal critic of Israel, is antisemitic.

“I’ve just seen an escalation in his rhetoric since the primary, and it makes folks unsafe,” Turkish said. “Every time he talks about genocide (in Gaza), Jews get death threats.”

He told the Washington Examiner he had hoped El-Sayed would use the time after the primary to move past divisions over Israel and unite the party. He also said El-Sayed’s association with streamer Hasan Piker should disqualify him from receiving Jewish votes.

At that point, Stevens was still publicly backing the Democratic ticket, though Deadline Detroit noted she dodged CNN questions about El-Sayed specifically.

Haley Stevens’ switch and the fallout

On Sunday, Stevens appeared with Rogers at Perfecting Church in Detroit and then endorsed him in a video. “I do not belong in Abdul’s campaign,” she said, according to USA Today. In the hours after, according to USA Today’s live coverage:

• Her staff quit. Longtime chief of staff Justin German said he and “many members” of her team resigned before the endorsement and urged people to vote for El-Sayed.
• Democrats condemned it. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called it “a despicable betrayal.” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said she “betrayed” working-class voters.
• Republicans praised it. President Donald Trump called Stevens “brave” and invited her to join the GOP. USA Today reported Trump also falsely called El-Sayed a “jihadist.” House Speaker Mike Johnson said she was “standing for truth.”

The Anderson Cooper interview

Stevens defended her decision on CNN Sunday night. “I changed my mind, you know?” she told Anderson Cooper, adding that El-Sayed had said he didn’t need her endorsement. Asked whether she wants Democrats to win the Senate, she said, “I absolutely do,” and said Republicans want to let Trump “be a dictator.” She said “some of the actions have certainly been anti-Semitic” when asked about El-Sayed.

El-Sayed’s response

“I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens,” El-Sayed told reporters, saying he was focused on gas and grocery prices. He later argued on MS NOW that “Mike Rogers is going to be a vote for Donald Trump.”

Michigan Senate polls

Before the endorsement, El-Sayed led Rogers by 3.5 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics polling average, USA Today reported. It isn’t yet clear whether Stevens’ move will shift a race both parties see as key to Senate control.

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Earlier coverage: Haley Stevens Endorses Republican Mike Rogers Over Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan Senate Race (Nov 1)