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Stevens Endorses Rogers in Michigan Senate Race
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In Short: Democratic Representative Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race, drawing criticism from party leaders.
Democratic Representative Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race, a move that stunned colleagues and drew sharp criticism from party leaders.
Stevens announced her endorsement of Rogers earlier Sunday, just two days before the election, in a video posted on X. She said she was no longer welcome in El-Sayed's campaign and that he was right to ask her to stay away.
Stevens, who represents a large Jewish district in suburban Detroit, cited her moral objections to El-Sayed's backing from political streamer Hasan Piker as a reason for her endorsement of Rogers.
In her video, Stevens said, “I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the US Senate. Today, I do not belong to Abdul’s campaign.” She added, “Our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away, and he's right.”
Stevens' endorsement came after El-Sayed's team asked her to stay away from his events, as reported by POLITICO.
Stevens' decision to endorse Rogers was met with dismay from fellow Democrats. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “a partisan hack who represents more of the same MAGA extremism.”
Pramila Jayapal, a former leader of the progressive caucus, implored Michiganders to “stay focused on the race at hand, and cast their ballots” for El-Sayed.
Stevens' chief of staff, Justin German, said “many members” of Stevens’ staff, including himself, resigned on Sunday.
Stevens' endorsement marks a dramatic reversal from just days ago, when she said she would support her party’s ticket and planned to attend a campaign event Sunday to support Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
Stevens attended a church service in downtown Detroit with Rogers earlier in the day, which was captured by local reporters.
Stevens' endorsement of Rogers has caused a rift within the Democratic party, with Michigan’s Democratic party chair Curtis Hertel saying, “Haley Stevens’ decision to campaign with Rogers – a man who has repeatedly sold out Michigan’s working class, wants to pass a national abortion ban, and has pledged to be a loyal vote for Trump’s agenda – shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about.”
What this adds
Stevens' endorsement of Rogers is a significant shift from her previous support for defeating Rogers, regardless of who won the Democratic primary.
Stevens' decision to endorse Rogers is a surprise to many, including her allies and friends in Michigan and on Capitol Hill.
Background
Democratic Representative Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race, drawing sharp criticism from party leaders.
Democratic Rep Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race, surprising many.
What's confirmed
- “I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the US Senate. Today, I do not belong to Abdul’s campaign,” she said in a video posted on X.
- "Our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away, and he's right," Stevens said in a video posted on social media Sunday.
- Stevens said she remains "a very proud Democrat" who loves Michigan but could not support El-Sayed, citing his backing from political streamer Hasan Piker.
- El-Sayed’s team then asked Stevens to stay away from his events, as POLITICO first reported.
- “And he’s right, and that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,” she said.
- Stevens joined Rogers at Perfecting Church in Detroit on Sunday morning, Breitbart News reported, the two arriving separately but sharing a warm embrace ahead of the service.
- Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., had told her that reports she would support Republican Mike Rogers were "a rumor" and "not true."
- 🇺🇸 Election news from around the country READ MORE U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-South Carolina), center left, speaks during a press conference supporting U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, center right, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026 at North End Church of God in Christ in Detroit, Mich. (Photo by Ben Solis/Michigan Advance) DETROIT — Key Democrats said Sunday they would not let Haley Stevens’ endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers divide the party ahead of Tuesday’s election.
What's still developing
- Crowley is campaigning on Sunday with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and on Monday he will be with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg The Justice Department has filed notice it will appeal a federal judge’s ruling dismissing its challenge to Alaska’s certification of the U.S. Senate race if Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses.
- Tom Tiffany, a member of Congress the past six years, said after a rally Sunday in heavily Democratic Madison, Wisconsin, that he can “feel” the momentum of the race breaking for him.
- “Let’s be clear about one thing,” Jeffries said in a post.
- Trump: "Her following is huge, and the level of respect from the People of Michigan, especially our African American and Jewish populations, is virtually unparalleled. Haley said what few people are willing to say” President Trump applauded Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., for endorsing Mike Rogers for Senate.
- Recent polling shows El-Sayed faces a tight race against Republican opponent Mike Rogers as Democrats aim to pick off four Senate seats nationwide to win a majority in the chamber.
- Stevens, who represents a large Jewish district in suburban Detroit, unloaded on El-Sayed Friday in a series of interviews with the New York Times published early Saturday morning.
- El-Sayed, a former Michigan public health official, is in a tight race with Rogers, an ex-congressman, for the seat held by Democrat Gary Peters, who is retiring.
- The dramatic reversal less than 48 hours before Election Day stunned Stevens allies and friends in Michigan and on Capitol Hill, with several saying publicly she was reassuring them up until the eleventh hour that she would continue to support El-Sayed, even as the rift between the two Democrats spilled back into public view in the final days of the race.
- "At the end of the day I actually don't think about Haley Stevens," he said, adding later: "None of this matters."
- But Stevens’ anger at Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive Democratic nominee who beat her in the primary by less than 1 percentage point, had been simmering away for months, according to friends and people close to her.
- What drove Haley Stevens to endorse the Republican she once vowed to defeat?
- Published: 02:13 EDT, 2 November 2026 | Updated: 08:47 EDT, 2 November 2026 Haley Stevens struggled to explain her sudden decision to endorsed Republican Mike Rogers during a combative CNN interview with Anderson Cooper on Sunday night.