Stevens Endorses Republican Rogers in Michigan Senate Race
Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens has endorsed Republican candidate Mike Rogers for the United States Senate in Michigan, just two days before the November 3 midterm elections, in a stunning reversal that has shaken one of America’s most closely watched Senate races. Stevens, who lost her party’s primary in August to Abdul El-Sayed, announced her support for the opposing camp in a video filmed in her car on Sunday.
What Stevens said
In her announcement video, Stevens said El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign and should stay away. “Hey Michigan, as you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for US Senate, Abdul, said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away. And he’s right, and that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today. I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign,” she said. Earlier the same day, she had joined Rogers at a religious service at Detroit’s Perfecting Church, a Black community church.
A bitter primary behind the switch
The switch capped months of mounting tension from an extremely contentious primary, fought largely over the situation in the Middle East. El-Sayed, 42, who would become the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate if he wins on Tuesday, is staunchly pro-Palestinian, while Stevens, 43, is one of Israel’s strongest supporters among Democrats in Congress. Pro-Israel advocacy groups poured nearly 40 million dollars into supporting Stevens’s candidacy or attacking El-Sayed during the primary contest. As recently as Friday, Stevens had told the New York Times she would vote for El-Sayed, making Sunday’s endorsement an even sharper turn.
Democratic backlash
The endorsement drew swift and heavy criticism from Democrats. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader who had supported Stevens during the primary, posted on X on Sunday, November 1, to condemn her. “This is a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens. Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed, because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors,” Schumer wrote. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly attacked El-Sayed, welcomed Stevens’s endorsement on his own social network.
Why Michigan matters
The Michigan Senate race is one of the most closely watched contests in the country because its outcome is critical for control of the Senate. Americans vote on Tuesday, November 3, in midterm elections that will decide whether Trump governs the final two years of his second term with Republican majorities in Congress or faces stronger Democratic oversight. More than 54 million Americans had already cast early ballots by November 1, according to an Associated Press analysis, surpassing the 45.9 million early votes recorded before Election Day in the entire 2022 midterm cycle. Stevens’s last-minute switch could have a major impact on a tight race where every point of momentum matters in the final hours.
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Source: Based on reporting by Le Monde (2 November 2026), Reuters and the Times of India.