Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's U.S. Senate race

What happened

Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers on Sunday, less than 48 hours before Election Day, NPR reported. Rogers faces Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who defeated Stevens in the primary. ABC News called the move stunning because Stevens had previously said she would support El-Sayed.

Stevens announced the endorsement in a video posted to social media after a surprise appearance with Rogers at a church service in Detroit, according to NPR. In the video, she said El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. "I don't belong in Abdul's campaign," she said, according to ABC News.

How the split developed

A dispute over an outside ad

ABC News reported that the two had an acrimonious primary but seemed to have mended fences afterward. A new dispute surfaced in recent days when Stevens asked El-Sayed to disavow an ad from an outside group that she said was antisemitic. NPR identified it as an ad by Cenk Uygur of Young Turks that blamed Israel for high grocery prices in the United States. El-Sayed's campaign said he had nothing to do with the ad and criticized its contents on Saturday, NPR reported.

A canceled joint appearance

Stevens had been scheduled to join El-Sayed and Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina at a different Detroit church event on Sunday, meant to unify the party, according to NPR. On Friday, she made her attendance conditional on El-Sayed rejecting the ad and apologizing for rhetoric she considered inflammatory and offensive. The event went ahead without her.

Earlier signs of strain

Stevens' fiance, Jason Turkish, said he planned to vote for Rogers, and ABC News reported he attended an event with Rogers and Sen. Ted Cruz last week. As recently as last week, Stevens told CNN she was voting for the Democratic ticket, ABC News reported. In her endorsement, she also said she does "not stand with Hasan Piker," a streamer El-Sayed campaigned with during the primary, according to NPR. NPR reported that El-Sayed said in August that Piker did not speak for the campaign but stopped short of disavowing him.

How El-Sayed responded

Speaking to reporters after a church service alongside Clyburn, El-Sayed said, "At the end of the day, I actually don't think about Haley Stevens," according to ABC News. NPR quoted him saying, "None of this matters."

El-Sayed said he was focused on the rest of a state of 10 million people, ABC News reported, pointing to gas prices, grocery costs, and air and water quality. NPR reported he described families worried about feeding their children and paying bills if a child gets sick.

Reaction from both parties

President Donald Trump praised Stevens on social media, saying she showed "great and almost unprecedented loyalty" to Michigan, ABC News reported. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called the endorsement a "despicable betrayal" and said Senate Democrats are united behind El-Sayed.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said in a statement that Stevens had abandoned everything she claims to care about, according to NPR. Democratic National Committee Black Caucus Chair Virgie Rollins called Stevens a sellout, and Rep. Debbie Dingell urged Democrats to stay focused on electing El-Sayed, ABC News reported. NPR noted that an email auto reply from Stevens' communications director says he no longer works for her office, and several former campaign staffers criticized her online.

NPR described the clash as part of a broader rift among Democrats over Israel and rhetoric about Israel. Readers can follow more national races in our election coverage.

What to watch next

• Michigan voters choose between El-Sayed and Rogers for the U.S. Senate seat on Election Day, Tuesday.
• How Democrats handle the divide over Israel, which NPR reported is likely to extend beyond Election Day and into the 2028 presidential nominating process.