Democrat Haley Stevens endorses Abdul El-Sayed’s Republican rival Mike Rogers

Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, has endorsed his Republican rival, Mike Rogers. The surprising endorsement came in a video posted on X after Stevens attended an event with Rogers at a predominantly Black church in Detroit. This marks a high-stakes political moment in Michigan, where the outcome of the seat could be crucial to the Democratic party.

Stevens had initially refused to endorse El-Sayed, with tensions between the two high during the primary campaign. However, top Democrats brokered a truce between El-Sayed and Stevens. Stevens had extended a tepid endorsement to El-Sayed, but their relationship was further strained over the issue of Israel. Stevens, a staunch supporter of Israel, expected El-Sayed to denounce a campaign ad that blamed US support of Israel for rising costs, which El-Sayed refused to do.

The feud escalated, with El-Sayed's campaign disinviting Stevens from his campaign events. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan congresswoman, told CNN that the tensions between Stevens and El-Sayed were a distraction and that there was nothing to be gained by them being in the same place. Stevens had put out a statement expecting El-Sayed to win and encouraging people to vote, but hours later appeared with Donald Trump's Senate pick and supported Rogers' purported future investment in Black businesses.

The situation has further complicated by Stevens' fiance, Jason Turkish, who has been publicly condemning El-Sayed while supporting Rogers. Turkish, a pro-Israel Democrat, also donated heavily to Democrats in the past but donated to Republican candidates this year, including Susan Collins.