# Michigan Democrats Rebuke Haley Stevens After She Endorses Republican Mike Rogers for Senate

- Link: https://mbdailynews.com/michigan-democrats-rebuke-haley-stevens-after-she-endorses-republican-mike-rogers-for-senate/
- Published: 2026-11-01T19:36:12-05:00
- Author: Javier Zelaya

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)](https://www.trtworld.com/article/648a373c7cb0)_