Haley Stevens, a Democratic House member from Michigan, endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in the final days before Tuesday’s midterm elections, triggering significant backlash from her party.
Stevens had narrowly lost the Democratic primary for Senate to Abdul El-Sayed. The endorsement came after a public conflict between Stevens and the El-Sayed campaign over an outside group’s advertisement linking high cost of living to US support for Israel. Stevens indicated she would attend a campaign event if El-Sayed denounced the advertisement, but his campaign subsequently disinvited her. Following this rupture on Sunday, El-Sayed’s campaign reported raising more than $2.4 million, with contributions from over 26,000 first-time donors, in what the campaign characterized as a fundraising record for the final stretch of a race that could affect Senate control.
Democratic leaders strongly criticized Stevens’s endorsement. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it “a despicable betrayal” and argued that El-Sayed would better serve working families than Rogers, whom Schumer characterized as aligned with Trump and billionaire donors. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated Stevens had “chosen to dangerously betray Michigan families’ healthcare, freedoms and future.” Other Democrats, including New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel, expressed similar criticism. Hertel stated Stevens would no longer be considered a party member. Several members of Stevens’s congressional staff resigned in protest, and calls emerged for her expulsion from the House Democratic caucus.
When questioned by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Stevens declined to clearly explain her reasoning and remained silent when asked whether being disinvited from El-Sayed’s event prompted the endorsement. She maintained she still wanted Democrats to win the Senate majority and claimed she had heard from other Democrats expressing similar concerns about El-Sayed’s campaign. Stevens later compared herself to Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, noting his frequent departures from party positions. Republican candidate Rogers praised Stevens’s endorsement as courageous, and former President Trump also commended her decision on Truth Social and during a campaign rally, encouraging her to consider joining the Republican Party.
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