Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers on Sunday, abandoning her former primary opponent Abdul El-Sayed on the eve of the midterm elections. Stevens, who lost the Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed by a close margin, appeared with Rogers at the Perfecting church in Detroit’s North End before posting a video to X. She stated, "I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign." She also said, "Who we are as Michiganders is not hate and is not what we are getting out from our Democratic nominee right now." This decision follows a period of tension regarding an advertisement from an outside group that blamed US support for Israel for rising living costs. After Stevens made it clear her appearance alongside El-Sayed required him to denounce a campaign ad blaming Israel for high food prices, El-Sayed declined the request and accused her of reopening primary debates. The endorsement is an extraordinary rebuke of her party’s nominee. El-Sayed then formally disinvited Stevens from his campaign events. The feud has roiled one of the most fiercely contested Senate contests of the cycle. For months, Stevens and his other primary opponent, Mallory McMorrow, had refused to openly campaign for El-Sayed. Top Democrats eventually brokered a truce between the two former primary rivals after they had sparred viciously during the primary campaign. Following that sparring, Stevens extended him a tepid endorsement. However, El-Sayed maintains he has nothing to do with the contents of the liberal group’s advertisement.
Political fallout and staff resignations
I find the exodus of Stevens’ staff to be a consequence of her endorsement. Manu Raju, a CNN correspondent, reported that Stevens’ long-time chief of staff, Justin German, and her communications director, Logan Basch, quit. Neera Tanden, the former senior adviser to Joe Biden, wrote on X that standing with Mike Rogers constitutes a betrayal of everything Stevens fought for throughout her career. Tanden also wrote that the move betrays all of Stevens’ supporters and expressed hope that El-Sayed has a strong victory on Tuesday. She further called for all Democrats and like-minded independents to support and vote for El-Sayed. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan congresswoman, told CNN she told Stevens that the Sunday appearance with El-Sayed was not working because the tension between the two candidates acted as a distraction. Stevens previously issued a statement on Sunday expecting El-Sayed to win, but she later supported Rogers’ purported future investment in Black businesses. This political firestorm also involves Stevens’ fiance, Jason Turkish. He supports Rogers and has donated to Republican candidates including Susan Collins. Turkish previously donated heavily to Democrats, but he also donated to Republicans this year and maintains a pro-Israel stance. El-Sayed has not commented on the endorsement. Analysts consider the Michigan Senate race one of the tightest in Tuesday’s midterm elections, which decide which party controls Congress for the next two years. The race remains one of a handful of battleground contests that will ultimately decide control of the Senate.
