Democrat Haley Stevens has endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race, two days before the midterm elections, in a striking cross-party break with her own party’s nominee, Abdul El-Sayed.
Stevens, a US representative who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed in August, announced the endorsement in a video posted on X on Sunday after appearing alongside Rogers at a church service in Detroit.
“As you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for US Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” Stevens said in the video. “And he’s right, and that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today.”
She added that she did not belong in El-Sayed’s campaign, while describing herself as “a very proud Democrat”.
How the split became public
The endorsement followed days of escalating tension between Stevens and El-Sayed. Stevens had previously backed El-Sayed after losing the primary to him, but the relationship broke down in the final days of the campaign.
Stevens and Rogers attended a service at Perfecting Church in Detroit on Sunday morning. The two had been expected to appear at a different joint church event with El-Sayed and Democratic Representative James Clyburn, but El-Sayed’s campaign asked Stevens not to attend, according to multiple reports.
Stevens also criticised El-Sayed’s campaigning alongside Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, saying in her video: “I do not stand with Hasan Piker.” Piker has become a flashpoint in the campaign over his comments about Israel and Jewish Americans.
El-Sayed responded by playing down the row, saying he was focused on the cost of living and other issues rather than the campaign back-and-forth. “I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens,” he said, according to USA Today’s live coverage.
Why Michigan matters
Michigan voters will choose between Rogers and El-Sayed on Tuesday, 3 November, in one of the most closely watched Senate contests in the country. The seat is open because Democratic incumbent Gary Peters is not seeking a third term.
Republicans currently lead the Senate 53–47, and the Michigan result could help determine which party controls the chamber for the remaining two years of President Donald Trump’s term. Trump has endorsed Rogers, and welcomed Stevens’s move.
El-Sayed, a former public health official from Ann Arbor, defeated Stevens in the Democratic primary on 4 August, winning 48.5% of the vote. Rogers, a former representative, was the Republican nominee in 2024 and was the only candidate to qualify for his party’s primary ballot this time.
Midterm voting is already well under way nationally, with more than 53 million early votes cast before the final weekend, as reported in Emadan’s earlier coverage of early voting. Advertising in the midterms has also reached record levels, as covered in Emadan’s report on midterm ad spending.
What happens next
Both campaigns now face a final two days of campaigning before Tuesday’s vote. Stevens’s endorsement gives Rogers a high-profile Democratic voice in the closing stretch, but it also exposes a Democratic divide that El-Sayed’s campaign will want to move past quickly.
Whether the endorsement shifts votes in a race rated a toss-up remains unknown. What is clear is that a primary rivalry that was supposed to have ended in August has instead produced one of the most dramatic moments of the midterm campaign.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Haley Stevens? Haley Stevens is a Democratic US representative from Michigan who sought the Democratic Senate nomination in 2026 and lost the August primary to Abdul El-Sayed.
Who are the Michigan Senate nominees? Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers are contesting the open Senate seat on 3 November 2026.
Why did Stevens endorse Rogers? Stevens said El-Sayed told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign and should stay away, and that she did not stand with streamer Hasan Piker, who has campaigned with El-Sayed.
Sources
- Al Jazeera, “Michigan Dem Haley Stevens endorses Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers”, 1 Nov 2026: https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/11/1/michigan-dem-haley-stevens-endorses-republican-senate-candidate-mike-rogers
- USA Today, “Dem Haley Stevens endorses Republican in critical Michigan Senate race”, 1 Nov 2026: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/11/01/haley-stevens-mike-rogers-michigan-senate/92550566007/
- Times Now, “Two Days Before Midterms, Democrat Haley Stevens Endorses Republican Mike Rogers In Key Senate Race”, 1 Nov 2026: https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/us-midterm-election-2026-democrat-haley-stevens-endorses-republican-mike-rogers-michigan-senate-race-abdul-el-sayed-article-156448406/amp
- Reason, “Haley Stevens endorses Mike Rogers, spurns leftist Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan Senate race”, 1 Nov 2026: https://reason.com/2026/11/01/haley-stevens-endorses-mike-rogers-spurns-leftist-abdul-el-sayed/printer/
