Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens Endorses Republican Mike Rogers Days Before Midterms

Democratic Representative Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the US Senate seat in Michigan on 1 November. Stevens lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed in August. She appeared with Rogers at a church in Detroit before announcing the endorsement in a video.

Stevens said she does not belong in El-Sayed’s campaign. She cited differences, including over Israel policy and an outside advertisement she described as antisemitic. El-Sayed said the advertisement was not produced by his campaign and rejected its message. An attempt to schedule a joint appearance with El-Sayed fell through; Stevens then joined Rogers instead.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the endorsement a despicable betrayal. Stevens’s chief of staff and other members of her team resigned. In a statement the chief of staff said the team was heartbroken and continued to support El-Sayed. Protesters at a Detroit news conference called Stevens a traitor.

A New York Times/Siena poll released around the same time showed El-Sayed leading Rogers 53 percent to 42 percent among likely voters. El-Sayed’s campaign said it raised $1.2 million in the four hours after the endorsement. Michigan has not elected a Republican senator since 1994. The seat is open because Democrat Gary Peters is not seeking another term. It is the only open Democratic-held Senate seat in a state Donald Trump carried in 2024.

Democrats need to hold or flip seats to regain control of the Senate. Republicans hold the chamber going into the 3 November vote. The Michigan race is one of a small number viewed as competitive. Rogers is the Republican nominee and has Trump’s support. El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, won the primary after a contest that included Stevens and Mallory McMorrow.

Stevens had previously criticised Rogers as a rubber stamp for Trump’s agenda. Her late switch reopens divisions inside the Michigan Democratic Party that had appeared to be papered over after the primary. El-Sayed told reporters the endorsement does not matter. Voting is already under way in some forms; Election Day is 3 November.

The episode adds a last-minute variable in a state both parties treat as important to the balance of power in the Senate. Final polls and turnout will determine whether the rift affects the result.