On the eve of a midterm vote, a Michigan congresswoman's decision to back the Republican in the Senate race, and the vice president's eager claim that it will matter, mark a familiar moment in American politics: a party's own voice stepping outside its walls at the last hour. Rep. Haley Stevens, a Democrat, has chosen to endorse Mike Rogers after her nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. Both men spent their final day trading sharp charges in the opinion pages of Fox News Digital, each hoping that voters will see the other as the greater danger. What the
Vance Says Stevens' Endorsement of Rogers Will 'Certainly' Help in Michigan Senate Race
"I don't belong in Abdul's campaign."
Mark
Why does a single House member's endorsement get this much attention?
Mimi
Because Stevens is a Democrat from Michigan, and she did it the day before the election. She said El-Sayed told her to stay away, so she took him at his word.
Luke
Worth noting that her endorsement is confirmed, but its effect isn't. Vance says it helps, and he's a partisan with a stake in saying so.
Mark
What did Vance mean by "permission"?
Mimi
He suggested some voters who don't usually vote Republican might feel freer to back Rogers if a Democrat does.
Luke
That's his theory. The article offers no polling or voter evidence that it's happening.
Mark
The op-eds were sharp too.
Mimi
El-Sayed stressed 700 events in over 120 cities. Rogers went after El-Sayed's ties to Hasan Piker.
Luke
Rogers' claims about terrorist-linked donations and associations are his assertions. The article doesn't offer proof of them. The Singham funding figures come from a Fox News Digital investigation, and they concern Singham's groups, not a documented link to El-Sayed's campaign.
Mark
So what should a reader watch?
Mimi
Turnout on Tuesday, after both candidates held closing rallies in Michigan.
Luke
And whether anyone can show the endorsement mattered, because right now that's unknown.
Le Pouls
- A Democratic congresswoman has broken with her own party's Senate nominee in Michigan just days before the vote, and the rupture is raw.
- Vice President Vance calls the Democratic nominee 'a crazy person' and says Stevens' endorsement gives wavering Democrats 'permission' to back Rogers.
- Stevens says El-Sayed told her she did not belong in his campaign, and she answers by endorsing his opponent.
- Both candidates used Fox News Digital op-eds on Election Day eve to level attacks, with Rogers tying El-Sayed to a streamer and a network of funded groups.
- Closing rallies in Michigan are underway, and the outcome now depends on whether the endorsement moves turnout before polls close.
On the eve of a midterm vote, a Michigan congresswoman's decision to back the Republican in the Senate race, and the vice president's eager claim that it will matter, mark a familiar moment in American politics: a party's own voice stepping outside its walls at the last hour. Rep. Haley Stevens, a Democrat, has chosen to endorse Mike Rogers after her nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. Both men spent their final day trading sharp charges in the opinion pages of Fox News Digital, each hoping that voters will see the other as the greater danger. What the endorsement will truly be worth is a question no speech can settle, and it will be answered only by the quiet choices made before the polls close.
On the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on Monday, after a long day of rallies in New York and Ohio, Vice President JD Vance was asked by Fox News Digital what Rep. Haley Stevens' endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers would mean for Michigan's Senate race. He answered without hesitation: it certainly helps. In his view, the endorsement reaches past party lines to reasonable voters who love their country, and it gives some Democrats permission to vote for a Republican. He called Rogers a patriot and a good guy, and called the Democratic nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, a crazy person.
Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, announced her endorsement on Sunday, framing it as a rebuke. El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign and should stay away. "And he's right," she said. "I don't belong in Abdul's campaign."
On Monday, both candidates wrote opinion pieces for Fox News Digital. El-Sayed said he was running because no Michigander should be left behind, pointing to more than 700 events in more than 120 cities, and he described the people he met as hurting under what he called the Rogers-Trump agenda. Rogers, a former Army officer and FBI street agent, used his piece to attack, accusing El-Sayed of bringing to Michigan a figure who has said America deserved 9/11, and of accepting money from people tied to terrorist organizations. Those claims center on the streamer Hasan Piker, whom Stevens has also criticized.
The piece also laid out a Fox News Digital investigation into Neville Roy Singham's network, which it says received $285 million across six organizations, and it tied those groups to the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the ANSWER Coalition.
Vance's day was about turnout. He addressed crowds of a couple hundred at airport hangars in Ohio and New York, urging Republicans to vote Tuesday. After he flew back to Washington, El-Sayed and Rogers each held closing rallies in Michigan. Whether a Democratic congresswoman's break with her own nominee changes any votes before polls close remains the open question.
On the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on Monday, after a day of rallies in New York and Ohio, Vice President JD Vance took a question from Fox News Digital about Michigan. The question was what Rep. Haley Stevens' endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers would mean for the Senate race. His answer was short: he "certainly" thinks it helps.
Vance said the endorsement sends a message that reaches past party lines, to reasonable Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, independents, and liberals who love the country. In his words, Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed is "a crazy person" and Rogers is "a patriot." He added that the endorsement may give voters who would not normally back a Republican a kind of permission to do so, knowing that a Democratic congresswoman from Michigan is supporting Rogers. He called Rogers a "good guy" and said he believes Michiganders see El-Sayed as someone who would not be good for the state.
Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, announced her endorsement on Sunday, and she framed it around a rebuke. She said El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign and should stay away. "And he's right," she said, adding that this was why she was endorsing Rogers: "I don't belong in Abdul's campaign."
On Monday, the eve of Election Day, both candidates wrote opinion pieces for Fox News Digital. El-Sayed wrote that he is running because no Michigander deserves to be left behind, pointing to more than 700 events across more than 120 cities. He said the people he has met are hurting under what he called the Rogers-Trump agenda and want change.
Rogers used his piece to attack. He described himself as a former Army officer and FBI street agent and said he never imagined running against someone who associates with terrorist sympathizers. He accused El-Sayed of inviting to Michigan a person who openly proclaims that "America deserved 9/11," and of taking donations from individuals linked to terrorist organizations. The source ties these claims to El-Sayed's connection to Hasan Piker, a streamer and activist the article describes as a far-left communist. Stevens has also criticized that connection and has previously said Piker "should be condemned" for his extremist views.
The article gives further background on Piker. In a May livestream, he said Neville Roy Singham was likely the target of Treasury Department subpoenas, and that the target was Singham's operation, which he said spans the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the ANSWER Coalition, and CodePink. A Fox News Digital investigation found that Singham has put $285 million into six organizations. Among them: $22.44 million to the People's Forum in New York City, $1.33 million to CodePink, $68.7 million to Justice and Education Fund Inc., $1.098 million to BreakThrough BT Media, and $16.76 million to Tricontinental Ltd. The investigation also reports that the PSL and ANSWER Coalition share office space and leadership with the People's Forum.
Vance's day centered on turnout. He spoke at airport hangars in Ohio and New York, with crowds of a couple of hundred at each, urging Republicans to vote Tuesday. He promoted Jon Husted, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Andrew Constantino, among others, and was joined by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Donald Trump Jr.
After Vance flew back to Washington, El-Sayed and Rogers each held a rally in Michigan as their closing pitch. What remains to be seen is whether a Democratic congresswoman's break with her own nominee moves any votes before polls close.
Citations marquantes
I certainly think it helps.— Vice President JD Vance, speaking at Joint Base Andrews
I don't belong in Abdul's campaign.— Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich.
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