Michigan Democrats Rebuke Haley Stevens After She Endorses Republican Mike Rogers for Senate
Michigan Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers on Sunday, two days before Tuesday’s midterm election, prompting immediate condemnation from leaders of her own party, according to a wire report published by TRT World.
Stevens lost the Democratic Senate nomination to Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s August primary. In a video announcing her support for Rogers, a former Republican congressman, she said she remains a Democrat. She later appeared with Rogers at a Detroit church, and Rogers said he was honored by her support.
Swift reaction from Democrats
Within about an hour, Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel said Stevens was no longer a member of the party, the report said. Her longtime chief of staff resigned.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, a fellow Michigan Democrat, said she was stunned because Stevens had told her the night before that she would not endorse Rogers. Dingell told CNN that Stevens had “seriously hurt herself.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris recorded a robocall backing El-Sayed, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote on X that Stevens had betrayed Michigan families.
El-Sayed: focus on affordability
Speaking outside a Detroit church during an early-voting event, El-Sayed played down the endorsement and returned to his campaign’s focus on household costs and health care. A former public health official, he would be the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate if he wins. He also said his campaign did not produce an ad by an independent progressive group that linked U.S. support for Israel to grocery prices, and accused Stevens of reopening disputes settled in the primary.
What this means for the race
The contest is for the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, and Michigan is one of the most closely watched Senate battlegrounds of the cycle. Polling cited in the report suggests El-Sayed faces a tighter race than some other Democrats on the statewide ballot. More than 1.8 million Michigan voters had already cast ballots by Friday, according to the Associated Press, which limits how many votes a last-minute endorsement can still move.
Source: TRT World (wire report)
