Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers on Sunday, a major upset in the final stages of a top battleground race that could determine which party controls the Senate.
“Hey, Michigan, as you may have seen, our Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and should stay away,” Stevens said in a video.
“And he’s right, and that’s why I’m endorsing Mike Rogers for U.S. Senate today,” she said. “I don’t belong to Abdul’s campaign.”
The congresswoman’s announcement marks a sharp turnaround from just days ago, when she said she would support her party’s slate and planned to attend a campaign event Sunday to support Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
But before the rally, Stevens and El-Sayed issued critical public statements, sparking concerns from Democrats that the dispute was a distraction from what is widely considered one of the most competitive Senate races.
Stevens had said she expected El-Sayed to condemn an ad from an outside group that she called anti-Semitic. El-Sayed responded, accusing Stevens of “intent on restarting a primary that ended three months ago.”
The winner of Tuesday’s election will succeed Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is not seeking another term.
NBC News reported Saturday that El-Sayed’s campaign had asked Stevens to no longer attend campaign events following the dueling statements.
In his supporting video, which lasted less than two minutes, Stevens referenced El-Sayed’s ties to Hasan Piker, who appeared with El-Sayed at campaign events.
“I do not side with Hasan Piker, who is being trafficked on our college campuses,” she said. “A dear friend of mine was saying earlier today that education is the ballot, and she’s absolutely right. And what our students see, what our children see, and who we are as Michiganders is not hate, and that’s not what we’re getting out of our Democratic candidate right now.”
Stevens said she was “always a very proud Democrat.”
On Sunday afternoon, Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel wrote on X that Stevens “is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.”
Speaking to reporters shortly after showing his support, Stevens reiterated that El-Sayed “made it very clear that I was not welcome in his campaign.”
“At some point you have to ask yourself who is defending the country,” she later added.
NBC News has reached out to the El-Sayed and Rogers campaigns for comment on Stevens’ support.
Speaking to reporters after Stevens, Rogers said he was “honored” to have the congresswoman’s support. He said that sometimes “the hatred becomes so strong that it endangers some of our citizens in this state.”
He referred to Jews who hid symbols of their faith and were “harassed because they were Jewish.”
“This is more of a statement of solidarity against hate and the future of this state and this country than anything else,” Rogers said. “And I just want you to know: She reminded me at the end of the call, ‘Remember, I’m still a Democrat.'”
Later Sunday, El-Sayed spoke to reporters before a unity event alongside other Democrats. El-Sayed noted that Michigan is “a state of 10 million people that deserves much better from its government” and that he was “much more focused on the 9,999,998 residents who are not the ones you’re talking about.”
When later asked about Stevens, El-Sayed said that “at the end of the day, I don’t really think about Haley Stevens,” going on to contrast her campaign with Rogers’.
President Donald Trump praised Stevens for her support of Rogers, saying in a Truth Social article that she “showed great and almost unprecedented loyalty to the great people of Michigan with what she did.”
“It’s a thing called bravery, and few people have it like Congresswoman Haley Stevens just showed!” he said.
Stevens’ announcement came after she appeared alongside Rogers at the Detroit church, Rogers spokeswoman Abby Ronson confirmed.
“Mike welcomes him,” Ronson told NBC News before Stevens’ endorsement.
Stevens’ criticism of El-Sayed, his former primary opponent, and his appearance alongside Rogers on Sunday infuriated El-Sayed’s Democratic allies, who spent the weekend responding to Stevens’ criticism of the party’s nominee in the crucial window leading up to Election Day.
Even within his own congressional office, Stevens’ decision to support Rogers appears to be having rapid ripple effects.
A person familiar with the matter confirmed that Stevens’ longtime chief of staff, Justin German, along with several other staffers in his congressional office, were resigning following Stevens’ decision to support Rogers.
In a statement, German said his team was “shocked and heartbroken by Congresswoman Stevens’ decision to support Mike Rogers.”
“As of this morning, many members of our team have resigned, including myself,” he said later in the statement. “We encourage everyone to exercise their civic duty, vote for Abdul and the Democrats up and down the ballot, and stand up for the America we all believe in.”
Beyond her office, Democratic National Committee Black Caucus Chair Virgie Rollins criticized Stevens, saying in a statement that the congresswoman “has proven herself to be a sellout who used Black Michiganders for a political stunt.”
“Congresswoman Stevens has lost her way, and Michiganders know that Mike Rogers is a Trump accomplice and has failed Michigan,” Rollins said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who supported Stevens in the primary but supported El-Sayed after his primary victory, said in a statement that “Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed.” He said El-Sayed “will fight for the economic interests of Michigan’s working families, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors.”
Michigan’s other Democratic senator, Elissa Slotkin, chastised Stevens in an X-rated message Sunday afternoon.
“I knocked on doors in Sterling Heights yesterday and in one house these people were hyper focused on the high price of everything in their lives, and they are desperately worried – often in tears – for the future of their children,” Slotkin wrote. “And that is why I have avoided commenting on Congresswoman Haley Stevens’ actions until now.”
Slotkin then added, referring to Stevens: “So anyone making an election this important for themselves, and not for Michiganders and our democracy, should think seriously about whether they are serving the common good.” »
A Democratic operative who has worked in Michigan wondered why more of the state’s Democratic leaders didn’t immediately come out strongly against Stevens’ decision.
“Ask yourself where is Gretchen Whitmer right now? » said this person. “What is she doing?”
Whitmer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“No one really knows what’s going on here, but the party has basically said if you’re a surrogate, start the attack on her (Stevens) now,” this person added.
Earlier Sunday, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said before Stevens’ endorsement that he spoke with the congresswoman last night.
“My wonderful friend Haley Stevens wants me to tell you and everyone I speak to that she is voting straight for the Democratic ticket, and she is going to celebrate with Democrats across the country our victory Tuesday night,” Raskin said Sunday morning.
Still, it’s unclear how much Stevens’ support could affect the outcome of the race. More than 2 million votes have already been cast in the state, according to NBC News data.
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