Politics
Michigan Democrat Endorses Republican Rival After Feud
The surprise endorsement threatens Democratic chances in a crucial Senate race after a public dispute over Israel and campaign rhetoric.
By Headlinne · Compiled from reporting by NBC, USA Today, Jerusalem Post and 3 others
Democratic Representative Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers on Sunday after her campaign relationship with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed collapsed.
Stevens made a surprise appearance alongside Rogers at a Detroit church less than 48 hours before Election Day.
The Michigan Senate contest is one of a handful of battleground races that will determine control of the United States Senate.
"As you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away, and he's right," said Stevens.
"And that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate today."
The rupture followed a bitter public dispute over an outside political advertisement and El-Sayed's past rhetoric regarding Israel.
Stevens had demanded that El-Sayed condemn the ad from Rebellion PAC, which blamed high consumer prices on American aid to Israel.
El-Sayed distanced his campaign from the commercial, stating he had no affiliation with the political action committee.
The two Democrats had previously planned to project party unity by appearing together at a Detroit church event alongside South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn.
El-Sayed asked Stevens to stay away from his events to avoid distractions, according to reports.
"At the end of the day, I don't think about Haley Stevens," said El-Sayed when asked about the endorsement.
"None of this matters."
Several members of Stevens' congressional staff resigned immediately following her endorsement of the Republican candidate.
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel criticized the congresswoman's decision in a public statement.
Voters will choose between El-Sayed and Rogers to fill the seat in a race rated as a toss-up.
Reporting from
- NBC NewsBalanced
Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign asks Haley Stevens not to attend campaign events following clash over Israel
- USA TodayBalanced
El-Sayed asks Stevens not to attend final events in key Michigan race
- The Jerusalem PostBalanced
Michigan Jews on edge amid El-Sayed-Haley Stevens rift
- The GuardianBalanced
Haley Stevens advised to stay away from Abdul El-Sayed campaign events to limit ‘distractions’
- BBC NewsBalanced
Democrat endorses Republican candidate in key Michigan Senate race as party spat erupts
- NPR NewsBalanced
Haley Stevens endorses GOP candidate in Michigan Senate race, spurning Abdul El-Sayed
How this article was made: Headlinne wrote it with AI from the 6 reports listed above. Direct quotes are checked word for word against those reports, every number appears in at least one of them, and no other sentence is copied from one. Photos are from those reports and credited to them. Each report’s page on Headlinne links to the outlet’s original.