by WorldTribune Staff, November 1, 2026 — Real World News
Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens stunned her party on Sunday when she endorsed Republican Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan U.S. Senate race.
Michigan GOP candidate for U.S. Senate Mike Rogers was endorsed by Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens on Sunday. / Video Image
The seat is seen as a must-hold for Democrats if they are to take control of the Senate. Current Democrat Sen. Gary Peters is retiring.
“I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign,” said Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in the Democrat primary, in a video posted to X on Sunday. She added that she also didn’t stand with supporters of El-Sayed’s campaign such as leftist streamer Hasan Piker.
“I love this state … and I’m here to declare who we are as Michiganders,” Stevens said.
The video was posted shortly after Stevens made a surprise appearance with Rogers at a Detroit church.
Speaking to reporters after the service, Stevens suggested she had never felt welcome after endorsing El-Sayed following the August primary. “I stood with my party, and I was booed off the stage,” Stevens said, with Rogers by her side.
“At some point, you’ve got to look at who is standing for country,” Stevens said. “We can’t stand with hate. We can’t stand with Hasan Piker.”
“I’m honored to have Haley Stevens’ support,” Rogers told reporters. “I’m honored to have earned that vote. I’m glad I’m not running against Haley Stevens.”
“None of this matters,” El-Sayed told reporters outside a Detroit church later on Sunday.
El-Sayed won the August primary by less than one percentage point.
Stevens asked El-Sayed to apologize for criticism he has made of Israel and called on him to disavow what she describes as an antisemitic ad from an outside group. El-Sayed has said he disagrees with the contents of the ad and accused Stevens of distracting from core campaign issues.
Top Democrats were livid at Stevens’s move.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it “a despicable betrayal,” while Peters said he was “extremely disappointed” in Stevens’s decision.
President Donald Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social:
“Wow, this is BIG! Congresswoman Haley Stevens, a Highly Respected Democrat, who narrowly lost in the Primary to Abdul Mohamed El-Sayed, and who has been breathlessly wined and dined by the Dumocrats to help in their Michigan Campaign for the United States Senate against Mike Rogers, has just ENDORSED Mike Rogers for Senate! 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! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
