DETROIT — U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens broke with her party Sunday to endorse Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, withdrawing her support from Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed two days before voters finish casting their ballots.
Stevens attended a Detroit church service with Rogers before announcing her decision. Addressing her opposition to political streamer Hasan Piker, who has appeared at campaign events with El-Sayed, she said: “We have to stand with country. We can’t stand with hate. We can’t stand with Hasan Piker.” Source: WDIV ClickOnDetroit.
In a separate video posted to her social-media account, Stevens said El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. She presented her endorsement as a response to that rupture while maintaining that she remained a Democrat. A transcript of the announcement also records her criticism of Piker’s presence on college campuses. Source: RealClearPolitics.
The decision reversed Stevens’ earlier support for El-Sayed after their Democratic primary contest. Their dispute intensified in recent days over an advertisement by an outside group that Stevens characterized as antisemitic. Her fiancé, Jason Turkish, had also announced his support for Rogers. Source: ABC News.
FOX 2 reported that the advertisement came from Rebellion PAC and connected U.S. funding for Israel with Americans’ affordability concerns. El-Sayed said his campaign was not affiliated with the advertisement. Stevens argued that separating his campaign from the group did not amount to condemning its message.
El-Sayed dismissed the endorsement as a distraction when reporters questioned him Sunday. “At the end of the day, I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens,” he said, before emphasizing health care, schools, infrastructure and families’ living costs.
Rogers welcomed Stevens’ support. He said their conversation concerned what would benefit Michigan and the country, while acknowledging that she had reminded him she remained a Democrat. Source for these three paragraphs: FOX 5 Atlanta.
The announcement drew immediate criticism from fellow Democrats. Axios reported that several members of Stevens’ staff resigned afterward, citing a former staffer familiar with the situation. Rep. Jamie Raskin said he had understood from a conversation with Stevens the previous night that she would support the Democratic ticket. Source: Axios.
Rogers and El-Sayed are competing for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The contest could help determine control of the Senate. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Source: Associated Press.
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