Haley Stevens Backs Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate Race, Triggering Democratic Outrage
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Democrat Haley Stevens has publicly thrown her support behind Republican candidate Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race, sharpening internal party tensions just days before the election.
In a stunning and politically damaging move, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens has endorsed Republican candidate Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate, following her loss to Abdul El-Sayed for the Democratic nomination. Stevens made her endorsement public during an appearance with Rogers, declaring, "I don't belong in Abdul's campaign," and insisting that the values of Michiganders do not align with what she described as hate from the Democratic nominee.
Stevens' decision has been met with fierce condemnation from fellow Democrats, with one party member calling it a "despicable betrayal" just two days before the election. Tensions intensified after Stevens urged El-Sayed to denounce a controversial campaign advertisement from a liberal group that linked U.S. support for Israel to rising prices. El-Sayed condemned the ad and distanced himself from it.
Originally set to appear with El-Sayed to project party unity, Stevens instead attended a church service with Rogers after reportedly being told she was not welcome at the event. "At the end of the day, I don't think about Haley Stevens," El-Sayed said, dismissing the significance of her actions.
The Michigan Senate race is widely seen as one of the most competitive contests in the upcoming midterm elections, with the seat currently held by a retiring Democrat. Historically, it has been a battleground state, having voted for both Joe Biden in 2020 and Donald Trump in 2024. After Stevens' announcement, many of her staff reportedly resigned, and the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party blasted her actions as a betrayal of the values she claimed to represent. "We reject the attempts by Stevens and bad-faith actors to divide our party," said Curtis Hertel, the party chair. Meanwhile, Rogers said he would welcome Stevens into the Republican Party, stating, "I'd love her to join the Republican Party actually."