Rep. Haley Stevens switches endorsement to Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., withdrew her support for Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday and endorsed Republican candidate Mike Rogers, just two days before the midterm elections.

The reversal follows tense in-party fighting between Stevens, a moderate, and El-Sayed, a progressive, who often clashed while campaigning for the state’s Democratic Senate nomination. Stevens endorsed El-Sayed soon after she conceded the close August primary.

Stevens and Rogers were seen attending a church service together Sunday morning, which prompted questions about whom she supported.

Stevens answered in a video posted to social media, in which she officially switched her endorsement to Rogers. She said she felt what was coming out of the Democratic nominee’s campaign was “hate”.

“I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign. I do not stand with Hasan Piker, who gets trafficked on our college campuses,” Stevens said, referencing a supporter of El-Sayed.

Top Democratic leaders were quick to respond on social media, calling the move “dangerous” and a “despicable betrayal.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump called Stevens “brave,” a thought echoed by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Trump later told reporters he would welcome her to the Republican Party.

Rogers held a gaggle with Stevens soon after the announcement and said he was honored to have her vote.

“This is more a statement about standing together against hate and the future of this state and this country than it is anything else,” Rogers said.

When asked about the change, El-Sayed said he “doesn’t think about Stevens” and is more focused on the issues leading his campaign.

The endorsement even led to a major switch up on the Hill: Stevens’ longtime congressional chief of staff issued a statement Sunday saying he and other members of the team resigned after the flipped support. He said he was shocked and heartbroken by the action, and ended the statement with his own endorsement of El-Sayed.