Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens’ shocking last-minute endorsement of Mike Rogers, a Republican Senate candidate, has sparked a fierce reaction from members of her party. Stevens, who narrowly lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, announced his support for Rogers after a dispute with El-Sayed’s campaign over a campaign ad by an outside group that blamed the high cost of living on U.S. support for Israel. Stevens had said he would appear at a campaign event if he “Senate Democrats are united in our support of Abdul El-Sayed, because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors,” Schumer posted on social media. Nancy Pelosi, a California representative, posted that Stevens had “chose to dangerously betray the health care, liberties and future of Michigan families with his horrible endorsement.” Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York, also said that “working class lives are on the ballot Tuesday.” “Haley Stevens simply betrayed them by endorsing the same Republican she said she wanted to run against,” Mamdani posted. “Nor will it be in the future.” A Detroit journalist, Sam Robinson, shared a video in which Hertel was asked why he thought Stevens made the endorsement. “Obviously there are sour grapes about the election, but there is no reasonable explanation for this. I have known Haley Stevens for a long time, and I know why she has fought for her in her career, and this is the antithesis of all that,” Hertel said. Debbie Dingell, a Democratic representative from Michigan, said, “That’s what they’re talking about, not Congresswoman Stevens’ continued efforts to get attention,” she said in a statement. While some Democrats and Jewish leaders also condemned El-Sayed’s announcement, congressional candidates Brad Lander and Daniel Bliss, both Jewish and Democrats, issued a statement Sunday encouraging voters to support El-Sayed. They didn’t mention Stevens. “In the final days of this election, we must remember the true choice of this race,” the statement said. “One candidate represents a party that has stoked hate, eviscerated anti-discrimination efforts, and remained silent in the face of President Trump’s corruption and authoritarianism. The other represents the promise of accountability, affordability, and the fight for a more equitable, just, and democratic future.” Meanwhile, Trump praised Stevens’ endorsement of Rogers on his Truth Social platform, describing her as a “highly respected Democrat.” He continued to support Stevens during a campaign rally Sunday in Dubuque, Iowa, going so far as to welcome him to join the Republican Party. “I would love for her to join the Republican Party, in fact, I think that could happen maybe. But she showed enormous and almost unprecedented loyalty to the great people of Michigan,” Trump said.
