{
  "id": 17665961,
  "title": "Haley Stevens Abandons Fellow Democrats in Opposition to Abdul El-Sayed",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/haley-stevens-abandons-fellow-democrats-in-opposition-to-abdul-el",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-01T19:38:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mother Jones",
    "slug": "mother-jones",
    "url": "https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/11/haley-stevens-abandons-fellow-democrats-in-opposition-to-abdul-el-sayed/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Sunday, US Representative Haley Stevens, who once supported fellow Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, announced she would be endorsing Republican Mike Rogers instead. Stevens, who lost the Senate primary to El-Sayed in August, stated that she no longer aligns herself with El-Sayed's campaign, saying, \"I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign.\" This decision came just days before the midterms and surprised many, as Stevens had previously endorsed El-Sayed. Stevens and Rogers appeared together at Perfecting Church in Detroit, where Stevens endorsed Rogers. El-Sayed has faced criticism from both parties for his association with Hasan Piker, a political commentator, and his past remarks on Israel, which he had distanced himself from earlier in the summer. Stevens said that her decision to support Rogers was a \"personal and private decision.\" Michigan Democratic leaders expressed disappointment in Stevens' move, with Party Chair Curtis Hertel stating that it showed Stevens had abandoned her principles. Hertel vowed that \"we reject the attempts by Stevens and bad-faith actors to divide our party and undermine our momentum.\" Stevens had been set to campaign with Rep. Jim Clyburn at another church, but she demanded El-Sayed denounce an ad connecting high grocery prices to aid given to Israel, as well as El-Sayed's own remarks on Israel, as a condition for her appearance. The primary election between Stevens and El-Sayed was the most expensive Democratic primary in history, with the United Democracy Project, a super PAC backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, being the biggest spender for Stevens. El-Sayed responded to Stevens' decision, accusing her of \"relitigating a primary that ended three months ago.\" Since her endorsement of Rogers, around 15 of Stevens' staff members have resigned, including her chief of staff, Justin German, who expressed shock and heartbreak over the decision. Rogers, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, has also been accused of launching Islamophobic rhetoric against El-Sayed.",
  "summary": "On Sunday afternoon, US Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed in August, retracted her endorsement of her fellow Michigan Democrat and announced that she is now supporting his opponent, Republican candidate Mike Rogers. “I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign,” Stevens said in the social media video. “I do not stand […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The New York Times",
        "title": "Why Haley Stevens Can’t Stop Talking About Abdul El-Sayed",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/why-haley-stevens-cant-stop-talking-about-abdul-el-sayed",
        "published": "2026-10-31T09:06:08.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}