Two days before Election Day, a Michigan Democrat crossed the aisle. The Haley Stevens endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers for U.S. Senate came Sunday, right after she attended a Detroit church service with him, The Associated Press reported. Stevens lost the August primary to Abdul El-Sayed by a slim margin.
Notably, it came only hours after she was uninvited from a joint event with El-Sayed. Instead of unity, Michigan got a split screen. Here is what happened, and why it matters before you vote Tuesday.
Key Takeaways
- Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, Nov. 1.
- She was uninvited from a joint event with nominee Abdul El-Sayed that same day.
- Her longtime chief of staff and several staff members resigned, NBC News reported.
- The winner replaces retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, and the seat could help decide Senate control.
- More than 2 million Michigan votes had already been cast, according to NBC News data.
What Led to the Haley Stevens Endorsement
First, the backstory. The primary was among the most bitter this year, AP reported. Stevens is a staunch supporter of Israel. By contrast, El-Sayed is a fierce critic of the U.S. ally.
Then the feud flared again Friday. Stevens called on El-Sayed to condemn an ad from an independent left-wing group that linked U.S. support for Israel to high grocery prices. El-Sayed said his campaign did not make the ad, adding, “I do not agree with the contents of that ad.” Still, he said Stevens “seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago.”
Next, the unity event fell apart. Rep. Debbie Dingell, who helped plan it, said she asked Stevens not to attend. “I’m the one who pulled it because it had become way too distracting,” Dingell told AP.
Stevens answered with a video. “Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” she said. “And he’s right. And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today.”
A Party Split in Public
The fallout was immediate. Her longtime chief of staff, Justin German, resigned along with several staff members, NBC News reported. In a statement, German said the team was “shocked and heartbroken” by her decision.
Meanwhile, state party chair Curtis Hertel wrote on X that Stevens “is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.”
Stevens, however, says she has not left her party. “I’m not turning my back on Democrats. It is this one vote,” she told reporters, according to AP.
That is the real story. The Haley Stevens endorsement means a sitting Democratic member of Congress decided she could not back her own party’s nominee. Of course, one endorsement does not decide a race. Even so, it shows a party divided over Israel, over tone and over who speaks for its voters. In fact, Stevens carried Wayne and Oakland counties in the primary with support from Black and Jewish voters, AP reported.
The Case for Mike Rogers on the Merits
Still, an endorsement is not a reason to vote. Policy is. On pocketbook issues, the contrast is sharp. At a Detroit Economic Club forum on Oct. 20, Rogers called for cutting taxes and bringing more skilled trades into schools, Michigan Public reported.
“If you look at wages for new college graduates versus wages for the skilled trades, man, skilled trades is winning that fight all day long,” Rogers said. He also pitched a Detroit land bank so builders could bid on vacant lots with less red tape.
On the other hand, El-Sayed’s signature plan is Medicare for All. He has not laid out a funding plan, but he has acknowledged it will likely raise taxes, while noting those taxes would replace copays and premiums, PolitiFact found. He has also backed lifting the cap on Social Security payroll taxes.
To be fair, PolitiFact noted that one study projects lower total health spending under a national system. But a plan with no funding blueprint is a blank check. Rogers instead argues that price transparency is a better way to lower costs. For a fiscal conservative, that is the safer bet, especially while inflation keeps squeezing families. Even Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, said voters she met were “hyper-focused on how expensive everything in their life seems to be.”
What the Haley Stevens Endorsement Means for Tuesday
Nobody should overstate the Haley Stevens endorsement. Early voting has been underway since Oct. 24, and more than 2 million votes were already cast, NBC News reported. El-Sayed brushed it off: “At the end of the day, I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens.”
Rogers, standing beside her, said he was “honored” by her support. “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 said.
In other words, Michigan voters hold real power this week. If you have not voted, read our look at early voting in the midterms and make a plan.
What do you think? Does a Democrat crossing over for Mike Rogers change how you see this race? Tell us in the comments.
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