Stevens backs Rogers, fracturing Michigan Democrats

The Michigan Senate race entered its final stretch with a sudden shift in allegiance that split the Democratic coalition. On Sunday morning, Rep. Haley Stevens announced her endorsement of Republican candidate Mike Rogers, reversing her support for Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. The move came after a failed attempt to unite the party’s factions for a joint appearance at a Black church in Detroit. Stevens told reporters outside the service that her vote would go with Rogers, citing a need to stand with the country rather than with what she described as hate.

The endorsement arrived after weeks of tension between the two Democratic rivals. Stevens had previously stated she would not withdraw her support for El-Sayed, even after a week of speculation regarding her stance. As recently as midnight Saturday, she told a key ally she was sticking with El-Sayed. By Sunday, however, she had appeared with Rogers, a decision that stunned her colleagues. Most of Stevens’ congressional staffers learned of the switch on social media and immediately resigned, according to her chief of staff.

The race numbers provide context for the shock. A recent CNN poll showed El-Sayed leading Rogers by seven points, with 95% support from likely Democratic voters. Stevens’ endorsement is now being tested to see if it will convert undecided voters or simply serve as a political statement. The decision is particularly notable because Stevens was strongest in the August primary among Black and Jewish Democrats, groups that have shown hesitation in supporting El-Sayed due to his criticism of Israel.

Party leaders moved quickly to distance themselves from Stevens. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the move a despicable betrayal and accused Rogers of being a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors. Pelosi, who had previously criticized El-Sayed’s views on Israel, stated on social media that El-Sayed must win and that Stevens had betrayed Michigan families. Schumer added that Democrats were united in their revulsion at what he called racist and Islamophobic attacks on El-Sayed.

The underlying conflict involves deep disagreements over Israel and money in politics. Stevens received tens of millions of dollars in spending from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee during the primary, a group El-Sayed frequently denounced. El-Sayed, in turn, campaigned with live-streamer Hasan Piker, whose comments about Jewish opponents have drawn criticism. Stevens mentioned four times in her Sunday remarks that El-Sayed’s campaign had excluded her from recent events. She noted that El-Sayed had said she was no longer welcome, a point she repeated in an endorsement video posted on X.

El-Sayed’s campaign responded to the news by raising $1.2 million in the hours following the endorsement, their second-largest single-day total since winning the primary. At a Sunday event, El-Sayed said he was less interested in the politics of the dispute than the policy issues facing the state. He stated that he did not think about Stevens but rather about the nearly ten million voters who are not part of the political drama. Party officials privately blamed El-Sayed for acting as if he had won the primary by a landslide, despite a margin of less than one percentage point.

Speculation has focused on the influence of Stevens’ fiancé, Michigan lawyer Jason Turkish, who endorsed Rogers last week. Several Democratic figures suggested Turkish was playing an outsized role in Stevens’ decision. Stevens’ mother, Maria Marcotte, stated that her daughter made the decision independently and that suggesting a man made the choice for her was insulting. Stevens did not respond to requests for comment, with her phone reported to be off Sunday.