Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the state’s U.S. Senate race on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, after attending a Detroit church service with him. She had lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed. The endorsement came two days before Tuesday’s election.
Stevens had been expected at a church event with El-Sayed. Instead, she attended a service at Perfecting Church in Detroit with Rogers, according to AP reporting.
Stevens Says El-Sayed Told Her to Stay Away
El-Sayed reportedly asked Stevens not to attend the joint event, which was meant to show party unity. In a video posted to X, she said she did not belong in Abdul’s campaign
, and told reporters he had made clear she was unwelcome.
Standing beside Rogers outside the church, Stevens told reporters: This is a very close election, we all know that, but Abdul made clear that I was not welcome in his campaign, that he didn’t need me there, that he didn’t want me there
. In her video she said the Democratic nominee had told her to stay away, adding, And he’s right.
She also said that Who we are as Michiganders is not hate and is not what we are getting out from our Democratic nominee right now.
Asked about the endorsement, El-Sayed said he does not think about Stevens. None of this matters
, he told reporters. He said he was focused on the problems Michiganders are facing.
El-Sayed defeated Stevens by a slim margin in the August primary.
An Israel-Related Ad Set Off the Feud
The rift widened over an outside liberal group’s advertisement linking U.S. support for Israel to high prices. Stevens urged El-Sayed to denounce it. He criticized the ad and said he had nothing to do with it, the, BBC reported. The BBC described the public feud as one between Stevens, a centrist Democrat, and El-Sayed, who represents the party’s left wing.
Democratic Leaders Condemn Stevens Endorsement While Trump Praises Her
Sen. Chuck Schumer called the endorsement a despicable betrayal
. Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said it shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about
. Many of Stevens’ staff reportedly resigned. Hertel added in a statement: We reject the attempts by Stevens and bad-faith actors to divide our party and undermine our momentum.
At a rally in Iowa, President Donald Trump called Stevens “very brave” and said: I’d love her to join the Republican Party actually.
Voters the BBC spoke to in downtown Detroit were split on its weight. Student Summer Lawrence called it a betrayal of the party
. Marissa Lee, a Rogers supporter, said Stevens is not going to make anybody change their mind
.
Detroit Turnout Could Decide the Race
Roughly three-quarters of Detroit’s residents are Black, and Democrats need strong turnout there. Early voting began Oct. 24, before the latest blowup. Dingell and others insist the party is united.
Democrats Hold a Seat Republicans Last Won in 1994
The seat belongs to retiring Democrat Gary Peters, and a Republican last won it in 1994. Analysts consider the contest one of the tightest of Tuesday’s midterms and one of a handful of battlegrounds that will decide control of the Senate. Michigan voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and Donald Trump in 2024.
The BBC noted that the primary exposed divisions over the party’s direction ahead of 2028. Stevens, a centrist, had backing from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. El-Sayed, a former public health official, has tapped grassroots frustration with Washington and U.S. ties to Israel.
Democrats need a net gain of four seats for a Senate majority; losing Michigan would leave them needing five.