Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for U.S. Senate in Michigan on Sunday, after appearing with him at a Detroit church. She lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed and said he had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign.
Democratic Representative Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for U.S. Senate in Michigan on Sunday, after appearing with him at a church service in Detroit. The endorsement came on the eve of the midterm elections, and Stevens lost the Michigan Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed. Stevens' endorsement came in a video posted to X.
Church appearance in Detroit
Stevens made a surprise appearance alongside Rogers at a church on Sunday. The event was at the predominantly Black Perfecting church in Detroit. Stevens and Rogers spoke to the media after attending the service.
Stevens' explanation
Stevens said in a video that the Democratic Senate nominee told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign and should stay away, which is why she was endorsing Rogers. The two had been scheduled to appear together at an event on Sunday, but El-Sayed reportedly asked her not to come.
Primary and a dispute over an ad
El-Sayed defeated Stevens by a slim margin in the August Democratic primary. On Friday, Stevens released a statement calling on El-Sayed to condemn an ad by an independent left-wing group linking U.S. support for Israel to high grocery prices. El-Sayed said the ad was not made by his campaign and that he does not agree with its contents. The two clashed publicly over the advert, which blamed Israel for high food prices.
Fiance's position
Stevens' fiance, Jason Turkish, has publicly condemned El-Sayed while supporting Rogers. This year he donated to Republican candidates including Susan Collins.
