Democrat Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers, sparking backlash from party
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US Congresswoman Haley Stevens has endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers over her party's nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, triggering a major backlash from Democrats just days before the midterm elections.
Stevens, who lost the Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed by a narrow margin, announced her support for Rogers in a video posted on X after attending an event with him at a predominantly Black church in Detroit on Sunday.
The endorsement marks a dramatic escalation in the feud between the former primary rivals, particularly over their differences on US support for Israel.
Stevens had previously agreed to campaign alongside El-Sayed after Democratic leaders brokered an understanding between the two. However, she later made her participation conditional on El-Sayed condemning an outside group's campaign advertisement that blamed US support for Israel for rising living costs. He refused, accusing her of reopening disputes from the primary.
Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel criticised Stevens, accusing her of abandoning the party's working-class voters. Several members of her campaign team also resigned. Her former chief of staff, Justin German, issued a statement backing El-Sayed and expressing shock at Stevens's decision.
Senator Bernie Sanders also condemned the endorsement, saying Stevens's former staff were right to resign. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused her of betraying working-class people by supporting the Republican she had previously opposed.
El-Sayed, responding to the controversy, said he was more interested in policy than political disputes. He urged voters to reject Rogers, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Stevens's decision, however, earned praise from Trump, who said he would welcome her into the Republican Party.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer's campaign described the endorsement as a "despicable betrayal" and reiterated the party's support for El-Sayed. California Governor Gavin Newsom also questioned Stevens's sudden political shift, saying it had diverted attention from the election.