Stevens ditches El-Sayed and endorses Republican Mike Rogers in eleventh-hour Michigan twist

WASHINGTON, DC: In a move that upset Democrats, Abdul El-Sayed’s former rival, Rep Haley Stevens, extended her support to Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers in an eleventh-hour endorsement.

Notably, Stevens' surprising move came hours after she praised Abdul El-Sayed for denouncing a midterm advertisement by an outside group, which seemingly blamed US aid to Israel for rising living costs in Michigan.

Haley Stevens appears with Republican Mike Rogers and then endorses him

Stevens raised eyebrows by appearing with Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers (R) at Perfecting Church on Sunday morning, November 1, even after claiming she was still “Team Dem.”

Moments later, she made it official that she is endorsing Republican candidate Mike Rogers for the US Senate seat, breaking party lines.

On Saturday, Mike Rogers publicly invited Stevens to join his campaign events.

Rogers stated that he "would openly welcome her" if she wanted to join him.

“I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,” Stevens wrote, captioning a two-minute endorsement video, adding, “I’m still a very proud Democrat.”

“Hey Michigan, as you may have seen our Democratic nominee for US Senate, Abdul said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away. And he’s right. And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,” Stevens said.

Haley Stevens says she doesn't belong to Abdul El-Sayed's campaign

Stevens said she did not belong in El-Sayed’s campaign and made it clear that she did not support his association with Hasan Piker, whom she accused of being promoted on college campuses.

She said education was on the ballot and argued that students and children should not be exposed to hate. Stevens said this was not what Michigan stood for and criticized El-Sayed for failing to reflect the values of the state.

Calling her past campaign a “love letter to Michigan,” Stevens said she wanted to stand up for the state and what its people represent. She described the Senate seat as “the conscience of the Senate right now” and said Michigan was at an important moment.

Despite endorsing Rogers, Stevens insisted that she continued to believe in the values she had voted for and supported. She said she would keep working for those beliefs in whatever opportunities came her way.

Although El-Sayed’s campaign had asked Stevens to stay away from his event, casting a shadow over the proposed joint appearance of the two Democrats, his denunciation of the Israel ad appeared to have eased tensions.

However, she was eventually seen with Mike Rogers at a church on Sunday morning, the day she was supposed to share a campaign appearance with Abdul El-Sayed.

Democrats condemn Haley Stevens

After Stevens announced her endorsement of Rogers, several Democratic leaders denounced her.

Retiring Democratic Michigan Sen Gary Peters said he is disappointed in Stevens’ move to break from the party.

“Colleen and I are extremely disappointed in Haley’s decision,” Peters wrote on X.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel also appeared disappointed with Stevens' actions, saying that her support for Mike Rogers “shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about.”