Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s former opponent in the US Senate primary, Haley Stevens, stunned party officials by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers as Democratic tensions boiled over days before the election that could determine the balance of power on Capitol Hill.
Stevens endorsed Rogers after attending a Detroit church service with him. The remarkable show of support for the US President Donald Trump-backed candidate in the tightly contested race comes after she was uninvited to a joint event the same day with El-Sayed, who defeated the congresswoman by a slim margin in the August primary.
"Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away," Stevens said in a video announcing the endorsement, which led her top aide to quit.
"And he's right. And that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today."
El-Sayed dismissed the endorsement when asked about it by reporters later Sunday, saying he's focused on issues voters care about, such as the high cost of living.
"At the end of the day I actually don't think about Haley Stevens," he said, adding later: "None of this matters."
Michigan Democratic leaders were left shocked. With just less than 48 hours to go before Election Day, a party that had spent months trying to unite behind its Senate nominee was suddenly grappling with an extraordinary defection in one of this year's most important races.
Tensions between the two Democrats have festered since the primary. Stevens is a staunch supporter of Israel, while El-Sayed is a fierce critic of the US ally. He has also been criticised by some in the community for past remarks regarding a Michigan synagogue attack and for appearances with controversial streamer Hasan Piker.
El-Sayed, a former Michigan public health official, is facing Rogers, an ex-congressman, for the seat held by the retiring Democrat, Gary Peters. Keeping Michigan in Democratic hands is vital to the party's effort to win a majority for the final two years of Trump's second term.
Stevens and El-Sayed were originally scheduled to attend church together, along with other Michigan and national Democrats, including South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn. Democrats hoped it would be a show of unity as they worked to boost turnout in the Detroit area, where concerns have lingered about enthusiasm among Black and Jewish voters in key Democratic strongholds.
Instead, Stevens swayed to gospel music alongside Rogers in the pews at Perfecting Church, while El-Sayed was a few miles away at a different house of worship campaigning alongside prominent Democrats, including Clyburn. The Associated Press attended both services as the dramatic split-screen unfolded.
Stevens' team resigns as Democrats are stunned by reversal
After the church service north of Detroit, where Stevens and her fiancé Jason Turkish worshipped with Rogers and his wife, Kristi, the congresswoman told reporters, "I'm not turning my back on Democrats. It is this one vote."
Rogers, standing beside her, said he was "honoured" by her support.
Their appearance came days after Stevens publicly reaffirmed she would vote for her party's nominee. It also led her longtime chief of staff to resign, with a number of staff members expected to follow soon, according to a person familiar with the developments who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
"We are shocked and heartbroken," the aide said in a statement.
The state party chair, Curtis Hertel, said Stevens' endorsement "shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about."
"We reject the attempts by Stevens and bad-faith actors to divide our party and undermine our momentum," Hertel wrote, and won't let such 11th-hour "distractions" deter the campaign. Hertel later wrote that Stevens "is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future."
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who supported Stevens in the primary, denounced her endorsement of Rogers.
"This is a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens," Schumer wrote in a social media post.
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