Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens backed Republican Mike Rogers
Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan on November 1, two days before the November 3 US midterm elections. She had lost her party’s Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed and clashed with him over an outside advertisement about aid to Israel. Her endorsement prompted criticism from Democratic leaders while she maintained that she remained a Democrat.
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Stevens appeared with Rogers before the November 3 vote
Democratic US Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the Senate on November 1, two days before the November 3 midterm elections. The announcement followed her loss to Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic primary in August. Stevens said she remained a Democrat even as she backed the other party’s candidate for the general election. Rogers welcomed her support.[1], [2]
Stevens appeared alongside Rogers at a church in Detroit, Michigan. She had previously planned to attend a joint event intended to demonstrate Democratic unity, but El-Sayed’s campaign withdrew her invitation after public disagreements. Only days earlier she had said she would support her party’s ticket. Her appearance with Rogers replaced the planned campaign activity alongside the Democratic nominee.[1], [2]
An outside advertisement fuelled the primary rivals’ dispute
The dispute concerned an advertisement by an outside group supporting El-Sayed. It linked American aid to Israel with American living costs. Stevens called the advertisement antisemitic and demanded that El-Sayed denounce it. El-Sayed criticised the message and said his campaign had not made it. He accused Stevens of reopening a primary contest that had ended three months earlier.[1], [2]
Stevens and El-Sayed represented different wings of the Democratic Party: she was a centrist, while he came from its left. After the endorsement, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer condemned her decision. Michigan Democratic Party chairman Curtis Hertel also criticised her decision. Rogers’s campaign spokesperson Abby Ronson welcomed Stevens’s backing after her appearance with the Republican candidate.[1], [2]
The endorsement came in a contest for a Democratic-held seat
Rogers and El-Sayed were competing to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. Michigan had not elected a Republican senator since 1994, although its recent presidential votes had alternated: Joe Biden carried the state in 2020 and Donald Trump in 2024. Democrats entered the midterms needing a net gain of four seats to take control of the Republican-held Senate; losing Michigan would have increased the gains required elsewhere.[1]
Early voting was already underway when Stevens made her announcement. President Trump praised her decision at a rally in Iowa and said he would welcome her into the Republican Party.[1], [2]
