Stevens Breaks With Democrats, Endorses Republican Mike Rogers Days Before Michigan Senate Vote

On Sunday morning, outside a church in Michigan, Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens stood next to Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers and told reporters she was not welcome in her own party's campaign. Two days before the midterm vote, she had made a surprise appearance with the man her party is trying to defeat.

"This is a very close election, we all know that, but Abdul made clear that I was not welcome in his campaign, that he didn't need me there, that he didn't want me there," she said. Shortly afterward she posted a video on X. "I don't belong in Abdul's campaign," she said, adding that what Michiganders are is "not hate and is not what we are getting out from our Democratic nominee right now." Then came the line that set off the reaction: "That's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers."

Stevens, a centrist, lost the Democratic Senate nomination to Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official and the son of Egyptian immigrants who represents the party's left wing. He has channelled grassroots frustration with Washington politics and with US ties to Israel. Stevens had the backing of figures such as Governor Gretchen Whitmer during the primary.

The feud had been building for days. Stevens called on El-Sayed to denounce a campaign advert from an outside liberal group that linked US support for Israel with high prices. El-Sayed criticised the advert and said he had nothing to do with its contents. Stevens was scheduled to appear with him on Sunday to show party unity, but he reportedly asked her not to come. She went to the church service with Rogers instead. Over the weekend, several Democratic politicians in Michigan had publicly urged her to end the dispute and back the party's candidates more directly.

El-Sayed was dismissive when asked about the endorsement. "At the end of the day, I don't think about Haley Stevens," he told reporters. "None of this matters." He said he was focused on the problems facing Michiganders.

Party leaders were far less restrained. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the endorsement "a despicable betrayal." Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said it "shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about" and said the party rejects attempts by Stevens and "bad-faith actors" to divide it. Many of Stevens' staff reportedly resigned immediately after her announcement.

Rogers welcomed the endorsement and said it showed "courage." President Donald Trump, speaking at a rally in Iowa, called her "very brave." "I don't know Haley. I've never met Haley. But Haley said what few people were willing to say," he said, adding that he would like her to join the Republican Party.

Voters the BBC spoke to in downtown Detroit were divided on the effect. Summer Lawrence, a 21-year-old student, called it a betrayal, saying Stevens' positions differ from those of a Republican. Matthew Barera suggested she may have had frustrations with the party. Marissa Lee, a Rogers supporter, doubted it would matter: "She is not going to make anybody change their mind."

The stakes are high. Analysts rate the race as one of the tightest on Tuesday's ballot, one of a handful of battlegrounds that will determine Senate control. The seat is held by a retiring Democrat, and no Republican has won it since 1994, though Michigan voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and Donald Trump in 2024. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to retake the Senate, and losing Michigan would raise that to five. The primary and its aftermath have also exposed divisions over the party's direction ahead of the 2028 presidential election.