Haley Stevens, El-Sayed's opponent in the Democratic primary, endorses Republican candidate in Michigan

Haley Stevens endorsed Mike Rogers in the Senate race in Michigan. Stevens, a U.S. representative who ran against Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic primary, officially endorsed the Republican candidate just a few days before the midterm elections.

On Sunday, Nov. 1, Stevens accompanied Rogers to a service at Perfecting Church, a Detroit church with a predominantly African American congregation. The appearance came amid the Republican's efforts to attract moderate Democratic voters and segments of the African American and Jewish electorate. Moments later, she made her support official in a video posted on social media, which surpassed 10 million views on X alone.

"As you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that 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," Stevens said.

"I don't belong in Abdul's campaign. I do not stand with Hassan Piker. ... A dear friend of mine earlier today was saying that education is on the ballot. And she's absolutely right. And what our students see, what our children see, and who we are as Michiganders is not hate and is not what we are getting out from our Democratic nominee right now," he added.

Piker, an activist and political commentator, campaigned alongside El-Sayed during the primaries and was heavily criticized for having said in 2019 that the United States "deserved" 9/11—a statement he later retracted. El-Sayed, who initially avoided condemning those remarks, later said it was "a silly statement" and that he does not believe 9/11 was justified.

As for Rogers, he stated the following: "Martin Luther King said you cannot solve darkness with darkness, you have to solve it with light. You can't solve hate with hate. You have to solve it with love."

"And I talked to Haley about that love letter to Michigan that she wrote that I thought was very good. And candidly, I'm glad I'm not running against Haley Stevens today! This is more a statement about standing together against hate and the future of this state and this country than it is anything else," he added.

The winner between Rogers and El-Sayed will replace the Democrat Gary Peters, who decided not to seek another term in the Senate.

How did Stevens come to endorse Rogers?

El-Sayed defeated Stevens by a narrow margin in the Democratic Senate primary, 48.4% to 47.5%. Although Stevens said she would endorse the Democratic candidate, she avoided appearing alongside El-Sayed during the campaign and sent mixed messages about him during his television appearances.

The situation escalated last week when Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish, told Detroit News that he would vote for Rogers, arguing that El-Sayed had not done enough to address the concerns of the Jewish community. Against this backdrop, it was announced that Stevens would finally appear alongside El-Sayed and Rep. Jim Clyburn at a Detroit church for an event scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 1.

However, plans changed quickly. On Friday, Stevens released a statement calling on El-Sayed to condemn a campaign ad by the Rebellion PAC, led by progressive commentator Cenk Uygur. The ad links the cost of food to U.S. aid to Israel and claims that this money is used to "kill Palestinians." The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called it "a textbook case of antisemitism." Stevens also called on El Sayed to apologize for his rhetoric about Israel.

Finally, El-Sayed said he disagreed with the announcement and did not agree with its content, but refused to apologize for his comments about Israel. His campaign then informed Stevens that she was not welcome at their events.

As for how the endorsement was handled, political journalist Mark Halperin reported that it was Rogers who personally called Stevens on Friday, after it became known that he would not be part of the Democratic event.

Trump, Schumer and El-Sayed: Reactions to Stevens' endorsement

President Donald Trump commented on the matter on Truth Social, where he described Stevens as a "highly respected" Democrat and stated that the weight of her endorsement is "big."

"Her following is huge, and the level of respect from the People of Michigan, especially our African American and Jewish populations, is virtually unparalleled. Haley said what few people are willing to say. She showed great and almost unprecedented loyalty to the Great People of Michigan with what she did. It’s a thing called bravery, and few people have it like just displayed by Congresswoman Haley Stevens!" he added.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic minority leader, described Stevens' action as "despicable." "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," he wrote on X.

When asked by the press, El-Sayed declined to comment on Stevens: "If you ask me questions about two people who aren't here, the truth is I'm going to be less interested in answering them."