By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan endorsed Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers on Sunday, Nov. 1, after attending a church service alongside him in Detroit, marking a significant break with her party’s nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, just two days before the midterm elections.
Stevens and Rogers appeared together at Perfecting Church after plans for the congresswoman to campaign alongside El-Sayed and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., collapsed amid disagreements over political advertising involving Israel and the rising cost of groceries.
Congressional reporter Mychael Schnell of MS NOW reported on X that Stevens was “attending church services” with Rogers, although the two had been spotted arriving separately.
The appearance followed several days of increasingly public disagreements between Stevens and El-Sayed, who narrowly defeated her in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary in August.
Stevens had endorsed El-Sayed shortly after the primary and appeared alongside him at a unity breakfast that month. However, the two had not campaigned together since, despite Democratic efforts to bring them together ahead of Tuesday’s general election.
According to reporting by MS NOW, the latest dispute began when Stevens issued a statement Friday demanding that El-Sayed publicly condemn an advertisement produced by Rebellion PAC, an independent political organization unaffiliated with his campaign.
The advertisement connected rising grocery prices in the United States to American financial and military assistance to Israel, prompting Stevens to accuse the group of promoting antisemitic messaging.
Stevens also criticized El-Sayed’s previous campaign statements concerning Israel, arguing that the advertisement reflected themes he had advanced during the Democratic primary.
She said the outside group “did not invent its argument” and urged El-Sayed to reconsider his approach to discussing Israel in connection with domestic economic issues.
“Abdul promises to get money out of politics,” Stevens wrote. “He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford.”
El-Sayed rejected Stevens’ criticism, accusing her of reopening disputes from the Democratic primary rather than concentrating on the general election.
“So while Congresswoman Stevens seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago, let’s all focus on the task at hand,” El-Sayed responded.
By Saturday evening, El-Sayed had explicitly distanced himself from the Rebellion PAC advertisement.
“I do not agree with the contents of that ad,” he said, emphasizing that his campaign had not produced or authorized it.
Stevens subsequently welcomed his statement, but the disagreement had already disrupted plans for a joint campaign appearance in Detroit.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., who helped arrange the event with Clyburn, said she asked Stevens not to attend because the controversy had become a distraction from the campaign.
“I’m the one who pulled it because it had become way too distracting,” Dingell told The Associated Press. “This is not how I was going to spend my weekend before the election, to be perfectly frank.”
Instead, Stevens attended Perfecting Church with Rogers and his wife, Kristi, while El-Sayed participated in another church service with Democratic officials.
During her appearance, Stevens praised Rogers’ support for investment in Black-owned businesses.
The development quickly escalated beyond the church appearance when Stevens announced her endorsement of Rogers, reversing her previous support for El-Sayed.
“I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,” Stevens wrote in a statement accompanying a video posted on social media.
The endorsement followed a separate declaration by Stevens’ fiancé, Jason Turkish, who said earlier in the week that he intended to vote for Rogers because of concerns about El-Sayed’s statements involving Israel and the Jewish community.
Stevens had previously maintained that she would support the Democratic nominee despite those disagreements.
Rogers, a former Republican congressman endorsed by President Donald Trump, praised Stevens for speaking publicly about the controversy.
“Representative Haley Stevens is a courageous leader who deserves the respect of every Michigan voter,” Rogers wrote Friday.
He also criticized El-Sayed over the advertisement and his previous statements concerning Israel.
The Associated Press reported Sunday that Stevens’ longtime chief of staff resigned following the development, with additional staff departures expected.
The dispute has exposed disagreements among Michigan Democrats over U.S. policy toward Israel, antisemitism and the party’s efforts to maintain support among Jewish, Black and Arab American voters.
El-Sayed, a former Michigan public health official, has criticized Israel’s military operations in Gaza and opposed unconditional American military assistance to Israel. Stevens has maintained a more supportive position toward Israel and has argued that some of El-Sayed’s rhetoric risks alienating Jewish voters.
El-Sayed has also faced criticism over campaign appearances involving political commentator Hasan Piker, whose previous statements concerning Israel have generated controversy.
The disagreement carries particular importance because Michigan’s Senate race will determine who succeeds retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
El-Sayed is attempting to retain the seat for Democrats, while Rogers is seeking to return to Congress as Republicans defend their Senate majority.
Michigan Democrats had planned Sunday’s church appearances as part of a broader effort to encourage turnout in Detroit, where Black voters represent a significant share of the electorate.
El-Sayed continued those appearances alongside Clyburn, Dingell, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., and other Democratic officials.
During his remarks at church, El-Sayed emphasized the influence of religious communities on his upbringing and public service.
“It’s in churches like this, in pews like the ones in which you sit, that the foundation of my life was built,” he said.
Stevens’ decision to endorse Rogers came after months of tension following the Democratic primary, which included substantial outside spending and disagreements over Israel policy.
Her endorsement also marked a departure from the position she had taken immediately after losing the nomination, when she pledged to support El-Sayed in the general election.
With voting scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3, the public disagreement has become a major development in Michigan’s closely contested Senate race, leaving Democratic leaders confronting a last-minute division while Rogers receives support from one of his opponent’s most prominent former primary rivals.
Original article
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