Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for Senate. Michigan’s Democratic chair said she is not a member.
Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, two days before the election, and the state party chair said she is no longer a member of the Michigan Democratic Party.
Stevens, who narrowly lost August’s Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed and later endorsed him, announced the move in a video. She said El-Sayed told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign and that she should stay away. “He’s right,” she said, adding that she was endorsing Rogers. She appeared with Rogers outside a Detroit church, and said she is still a very proud Democrat and is not turning her back on the party. El-Sayed’s representatives had asked her to stay away from his campaign events after she criticized his stance on Israel and his association with the streamer Hasan Piker, and said he had failed to reach out to Black and Jewish voters, Mediaite reported. El-Sayed said Friday that she seemed intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago.
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said Stevens is “not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who had backed her in the primary, called the endorsement a “despicable betrayal,” and more than half of her staff quit. President Donald Trump praised Stevens, saying she said what few people are willing to say. Rogers earlier called her a courageous leader.
The race for Michigan’s open Senate seat is close and is seen as important to control of the Senate. Polls suggest El-Sayed does not have the same level of support as other statewide Democratic candidates in Michigan. The election is Tuesday.
Information for this report was provided by CBS News, Axios, the Detroit Free Press, Mediaite and The Washington Post.