Rep. Haley Stevens ( Haley Stevens ), a Democrat from Michigan, unexpectedly announced on Sunday that she would support Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers ( Mike Rogers ) over Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed ( Abdul El - Sayed ).
Stevens lost to El-Sayed in the Democratic primary earlier this year.
Her endorsement of Rogers came a few days after tensions escalated between her and El-Said and his campaign team over a political action committee ad. The inflammatory ad, Rebellion PAC, showed a couple arguing about whether they could afford groceries due to the United States' support for Israel. El-Said's campaign team stated that they had no involvement or connection with this ad.
With less than two days until the election day, voters will decide which party will control Congress, which also affects the governing environment for President Donald Trump during his final two years in office at the White House.
"Hey, friends from Michigan, as you may have already seen, our Democratic Senate candidate Abdul said that I am no longer welcome in his campaign, and I should stay back a bit, and he is right," Stevens said in a video statement on X.
"That's why I'm supporting Mike Rogers in his bid for the U.S. Senate today," she said.
"I don't belong to Abdul's campaign team. I don't support Hassan Piker, who has been widely spread on our university campus," said Stevens.
Pikker is a controversial political commentator who once participated in campaign activities alongside El-Said.
On Sunday, El-Said stood outside a church alongside Jim Clyburn ( Jim Clyburn ), a Democratic representative from South Carolina, and Angela Alsobrooks ( Angela Alsobrooks ), a senator from Maryland, expressing indifference to Stevens' endorsement of his opponent.
“I actually don’t think about Haleigh Stevens,” El-Said said. “There are families getting ready to send their children to school tomorrow, and it looks just like it was 50 years ago. They worry about what lunch to feed their kids. They worry that they won’t be able to afford the bills if their children get sick. Those are the important things.”
Roberts and El-Said are competing for a seat that is about to become vacant. The current Democratic Senator, Gary Peters ( Gary Peters ), has decided not to run for re-election. This race in Michigan is crucial for determining control of the Senate, and Stevens supported El-Said after losing the primary election.
However, in recent weeks, the rift between El-Said and Stevens has continued to deepen. At the heart of the dispute is the United States' support for Israel, which was also a major issue during the primary elections. Stevens is a staunch supporter of Israel; El-Said, on the other hand, has described Israel's actions in Gaza after the terrorist attacks on October 7 as genocide.
Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish ( Jason Turkish ), had already been supporting Rogers before Stevens changed his attitude, citing anti-Semitism on the rise as the reason.
"I'm very sorry that everyone is dissatisfied with this," Stevens said to reporters at a press conference in Detroit. She was standing alongside Rogers at the time, and on Sunday morning, she had also gone to church with Rogers.
“I understand,” she said.
In this fierce primary election, Stevens received the support of the majority of Democratic establishment members, so it is even more surprising that she then turned to support Rogers. She was once the candidate favored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( Chuck Schumer ); Schumer reaffirmed his support for El-Said on Sunday and accused Republicans of spreading Islamophobia.
“Senate Democrats unanimously support Abdul El-Sayed because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors,” Schumer said. “We Democrats are also united in our complete disgust at the racist, Islamophobic, and exaggeratedly false attacks directed at Abdul by Republicans.”
Schumer then posted on X, stating that Rogers' endorsement was a "despicable betrayal from Representative Stevens."
Trump, on the other hand, praised Stevens' endorsement on Truth Social.
"Congresswoman Haley Stevens, a highly respected Democrat, lost to Abdul Mohammed El-Sayed by a narrow margin in the primary elections. She has always been warmly welcomed by Democrats to help them compete against Mike Rogers in the U.S. Senate race in Michigan. Now, she has just come to support Mike Rogers' bid for the Senate!" said the president.
"She has a vast base of supporters, and her level of respect among the people of Michigan is almost unparalleled, especially among African Americans and the Jewish community," he said.
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