Democrat Haley Stevens Breaks with Party and Backs Republican Mike Rogers in Senate Race
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Haley Stevens, a Democratic congresswoman from Michigan, has thrown her support behind Republican Mike Rogers instead of her party's nominee, Abdul-El Sayed, after a bitter primary and mounting tensions over Israel exposed deep fractures in the Democratic coalition.
Haley Stevens, a Democratic congresswoman from Michigan, has endorsed Republican Mike Rogers just days before the midterm elections, a move that has triggered fierce backlash inside her party and underscored the Democratic establishment's ongoing inability to hold its own coalition together. Stevens, who lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, announced her decision on Sunday, pointing to the escalating dispute over Israel as a central reason for her rupture with the party line.
Despite previously pledging to support El-Sayed, Stevens reversed course after weeks of public conflict over Israel's military actions and U.S. aid to the country. Her fiancé, Jason Turkish, had already signaled support for Rogers while accusing El-Sayed of anti-Semitism over his criticism of Israel. The dispute worsened when an independent group supporting El-Sayed aired an advertisement that Stevens denounced as anti-Semitic, deepening the personal and political fallout around the race.
Stevens said in a video that she had been uninvited from a church service intended to project Democratic unity, a development she used to justify backing Rogers. "Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away," she said. "And he’s right. And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today."
The endorsement has drawn sharp condemnation from Democratic leaders, including Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who called it a "despicable betrayal." He urged voters to focus on policy issues rather than Stevens's decision, even as the episode exposed the party's internal tensions and the cost of suppressing dissent. Stevens's move also prompted resignations within her team, with her chief of staff saying he was shocked by her choice.
As the race to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters intensifies, the effect of Stevens's endorsement on turnout and support for either candidate remains unclear. Polling suggests that El-Sayed has consolidated much of the Democratic base, but Stevens's influence in key Democratic strongholds could still peel off some voters and help Rogers in a contest already defined by division.