Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens has sparked fierce backlash from members of her party after announcing a last-minute endorsement of Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers. Stevens, who narrowly lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, made the move following a dispute with the El-Sayed campaign over an outside group's advertisement that linked the high cost of living to US support for Israel.
Stevens had said she would appear at a campaign event if El-Sayed denounced the advertisement, but his campaign instead disinvited her.
Party leaders condemn the move
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader and a New York Democrat, described the endorsement as “a despicable betrayal”. In a social media post, Schumer said: “Senate Democrats are united in our support for 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.”
Nancy Pelosi, a California representative, posted that Stevens had “chosen to dangerously betray Michigan families’ healthcare, freedoms and future with her horrific endorsement”. Zohran Mamdani, the New York mayor, said that “working class people’s lives are on the ballot on Tuesday”, adding: “Haley Stevens just betrayed them by endorsing the very Republican she said she wanted to run against.”
Local and state reactions
Curtis Hertel, the chair of the Michigan Democratic party, said in a post that Stevens was not a member of the party “nor will she be in the future”. In a video shared by Detroit journalist Sam Robinson, Hertel was asked why he thought Stevens made the endorsement. “Obviously there are sour grapes from the election, but there is no reasonable explanation for this. I have known Haley Stevens for a long time, and I know what she has fought for her in her career, and this is the antithesis of all of that,” Hertel said.
Debbie Dingell, a Democratic representative from Michigan, said the state's residents were focused on the cost of living, healthcare and housing. “That’s what they’re talking about, not Congresswoman Stevens’ continued efforts to get attention,” she said in a statement.
Support for El-Sayed and Trump's praise
While some Democrats and Jewish leaders also condemned the advertisement for El-Sayed, congressional nominees Brad Lander and Daniel Bliss, both Jewish Democrats, issued a statement Sunday encouraging voters to support El-Sayed. They did not mention Stevens. “In the closing days of this election, we must remember the true choice of this race,” the statement read. “One candidate represents a party that has stoked hatred, gutted anti-discrimination efforts and remained silent in the face of President Trump’s corruption and authoritarianism. The other represents the promise of accountability, affordability, and the fight for a more equitable, just, and democratic future.”
Meanwhile, Trump praised Stevens' endorsement of Rogers on his platform Truth Social, describing her as a “highly respected Democrat”. During a campaign rally Sunday in Dubuque, Iowa, Trump continued to support Stevens and even welcomed her to join the Republican party. “I’d love her to join the Republican party, actually, I think that could happen maybe. But she showed great and almost unprecedented loyalty to the great people of Michigan,” Trump said.
