A sitting Democratic congresswoman in Michigan publicly endorsed the Republican running for the Senate on Sunday, upending the state's closely watched Senate race just days before the election.
Haley Stevens, a four-term congresswoman who lost the Democratic primary in August to Abdul El-Sayed, appeared at a church service with Republican nominee Mike Rogers before announcing her endorsement. The seat opened when Democratic Senator Gary Peters retired, making it one of the few Senate seats Democrats hold in states that Donald Trump won in 2024.
Primary Battle and Endorsement
In the August primary, Stevens was backed by the retiring senator, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and the Democrats' campaign arm. El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and former Detroit health commissioner, ran on a progressive platform, including Medicare for All, and was endorsed by Bernie Sanders. The pro-Israel group AIPAC and its affiliates spent over $30 million opposing El-Sayed, but he won the primary anyway.
Stevens initially appeared to accept the loss gracefully, but her stance changed after an advertisement by Rebellion PAC, a group linked to commentator Cenk Uygur, which was not affiliated with El-Sayed's campaign. The ad discussed grocery prices and blamed American aid to Israel. Stevens called it antisemitic, while El-Sayed, who had no part in the ad, disagreed with it and accused Stevens of 'relitigating a primary that ended three months ago.'
Fallout and Reactions
Following her endorsement, Stevens was removed from the local Democratic Party by chair Curtis Hertel, and most of her staff resigned and endorsed El-Sayed. A press conference with Rogers was interrupted by protesters calling her a traitor. Trump praised Stevens for saying 'what few people are willing to say,' though he has never met her.
Stevens' decision is significant because she had pledged to support the Democratic nominee. Her concerns about the ad were shared by some Democrats, but her switch to a campaign that has used rhetoric such as calling El-Sayed a 'jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member' has drawn criticism. El-Sayed, who was born in Michigan and has condemned the Muslim Brotherhood, said his campaign raised $1.2 million in the hours after Stevens' announcement.
Impact on the Race
El-Sayed went into the weekend with polls showing him ahead, but the endorsement could still affect the race, particularly in the suburban areas where Stevens had support. Rogers lost the state's other Senate seat by about 0.3 percent two years ago, so margins are tight. The outcome on Tuesday will determine whether Stevens' move costs her party the seat, but her decision to back Rogers over her former opponent is now a defining moment in the campaign.
