Democrat congresswoman Haley Stevens abandons party mate El-Sayed, endorsing Republican in midterms shock

Democrat congresswoman Haley Stevens withdrew her support for Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan and her former primary rival, and endorsed his Republican opponent, a stunning last-minute turn in a race that is critical to the battle for Senate control.

“Our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” Stevens said in a video on social media. “And he’s right. And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate.”

The extraordinary development reflected both the bitter disagreements over Israel and the personal animosity between the two prominent Michigan Democrats.

Stevens, a moderate and a strong supporter of Israel, often clashed with El-Sayed, an outspoken progressive critic of the country, during their contentious primary race. After he narrowly beat her in August, she immediately endorsed him and they seemed to reach a quiet truce. Then, last month, she began to criticise him in news interviews, and in recent days, they traded public barbs over his stance on Israel. But she continued to cautiously commit to supporting El-Sayed and the full Democratic ticket.

Stevens’ endorsement video went online while she appeared Sunday morning with Rogers at a black church in Detroit. In the video, she said she “did not belong in Abdul’s campaign,” nor did she “stand with” Hasan Piker, a provocative left-wing streamer with whom El-Sayed campaigned in the primary and from whom he later distanced himself.

Stevens cast the Senate race — which has also included waves of Republican attacks on El-Sayed’s Muslim faith and background — as a referendum on hate in politics. She added that she was “still a very proud Democrat.”

Miles away, El-Sayed was at a church service with other Democratic leaders, an event that had been intended to display party unity. On Saturday, he had publicly urged Stevens to stay away from that gathering, deepening the growing tension between the two Democrats.

After the news of Stevens’ endorsement of Rogers, El-Sayed sought to downplay its significance.

“None of this matters,” he told reporters.

Stevens’ move shocked other Democrats and upended her congressional office, with several top officials announcing their resignations. Many Democrats condemned the effort to undermine El-Sayed so close to an important election for the party.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the move a “despicable betrayal.” The chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Black Caucus, Virgie Rollins, accused Stevens of “using Black Michiganders for a political stunt” and called her a “sellout.” And the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, Curtis Hertel, accused Stevens of having “abandoned everything she claims to care about.”

Stevens’ chief of staff, Justin German, announced Sunday that he and “many members of her team” had resigned over the decision. “This election is too important to sow division or stand on the sidelines,” he wrote in a statement, adding that staff members had been “heartbroken” by Stevens’ decision. Logan Basch, Stevens’ director of communications, also resigned Sunday, according to an auto-reply email.

Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, said he had been “blindsided” by Stevens’ decision, and that she had told him in a phone call around 10pm Saturday (local time) that she was still behind El-Sayed.

Raskin recalled in an interview that he had pressed Stevens. “I just want to be very clear about that: You’re supporting the whole ticket, including Abdul?” he recalled asking her. “And she said yes.”

Addressing reporters after the service, Stevens said that she “woke up this morning and I decided to go to church, and I am here with the person that I am voting for, for United States Senate. And that is Mike Rogers.”

President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly made anti-Muslim attacks against El-Sayed, said on Truth Social that Stevens had shown “bravery” and “almost unprecedented loyalty to the Great People of Michigan.”

Stevens’ announcement capped off a rollercoaster week of public back and forth between the two Democrats.

Last week, Stevens demanded that El-Sayed denounce an ad from an outside group that she has argued amounts to “fearmongering about Israel.” But on Thursday, Stevens said she planned to campaign with El-Sayed this weekend.

Those plans, however, were upended when she issued a statement Friday morning demanding an apology for comments El-Sayed had made about Israel.

El-Sayed pushed back, saying she was no longer welcome.

“I don’t want any distractions,” he told reporters Saturday. He added, “It seems as though other folks are more interested in making this race about things that it’s not about.”

On Sunday, El-Sayed attended the service without Stevens at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., also attended, and Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-S.C., introduced El-Sayed at the event. A third former Senate primary candidate, Mallory McMorrow, was also there.