Haley Stevens Endorses Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate Race

Democratic Representative Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat on 1 November 2026 after appearing with him at a church service in Detroit.

Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed in August, posted a video on social media in which she said El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. "And he's right, and that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today," she said. She added that she could not stand with hate and that who Michiganders are is not what is coming from the Democratic nominee right now.

The two appeared together at Perfecting Church on Detroit's east side during a family and friends day service. After the service they spoke to reporters outside. Rogers said he was honored to have Stevens's support and that they had spoken by phone earlier that morning. He noted that the majority of Democratic primary voters had not chosen the party's nominee.

Stevens told reporters that even her own mother had cast a vote for Rogers while her father voted for El-Sayed. She said 90 percent of the rest of her ballot would still go to Democrats. Her chief of staff and several other members of her official staff resigned after the endorsement became public.

The Michigan Democratic Party chair criticized the move as undermining the party just days before an election that could decide control of the Senate. El-Sayed did not name Stevens in his response but said the state of 10 million people deserves better from its government and that he was focused on the rest of the voters.

The endorsement came after days of rising tension between Stevens and the El-Sayed campaign over an outside advertisement and other disputes. Stevens had previously said she would support the Democratic ticket. She reversed that position on Sunday after being told she was not welcome at a planned unity event.

Rogers is the Trump-backed Republican nominee. The race is rated as competitive. Stevens's cross-party endorsement gives Rogers a visible photo opportunity in the final 48 hours. Michigan's Senate seat is one of the contests that will determine which party holds the majority in the chamber after the 3 November election.

Stevens has represented a suburban Detroit district in the House. She entered the Senate primary as a more moderate Democrat and lost to El-Sayed, who ran to her left. The primary was close enough that the subsequent feud has remained visible into the general election campaign.

Rogers previously served in the House and has focused on national security and economic issues in his Senate bid. He thanked Stevens for her support and said the endorsement showed that some Democrats were unwilling to accept the direction of the El-Sayed campaign.

Voting is already under way in Michigan. Nearly 53 million Americans nationwide have cast ballots in the midterm elections. The Michigan Senate contest has drawn heavy spending from both parties and from outside groups. The late endorsement by a sitting Democratic House member is unusual this close to Election Day.

Party officials on the Democratic side described the move as a personal decision that does not change the official ticket. Rogers's campaign treated it as evidence that El-Sayed's style has alienated parts of the Democratic coalition, particularly in suburban and Black communities where the church appearance took place.

The final two days of the campaign will test whether the endorsement moves any measurable number of votes or simply reinforces existing divisions. Polling in the race has been tight for weeks. A shift of even a few percentage points among Democratic-leaning voters could matter in a state that has decided recent national elections by narrow margins.

Stevens said she remains a proud Democrat. Her decision to endorse the Republican nominee while continuing to support the rest of the Democratic ticket leaves her in an unusual position for a member of Congress seeking re-election in her own district at the same time.