Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), who finished second in this year’s Democratic Senate primary, withdrew her endorsement of Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and backed Republican Mike Rogers in a statement, the day before the election.
I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today. pic.twitter.com/pQgfSBuhOJ
— Haley Stevens (@HaleyforMI) November 1, 2026
In a bombshell explanation for why she did, Stevens said the decision was one of conscience, not political calculation. She described herself as a lifelong Democrat who supports abortion rights, organized labor and expanded access to health care, but argued that El-Sayed had not demonstrated the judgment and inclusiveness required of a U.S. senator.
After losing the primary, Stevens said, she endorsed El-Sayed and hoped Democrats could move forward together. She said those hopes faded when she felt shut out of his campaign and raised concerns about messaging she considered divisive. She criticized an outside-group ad that linked rising grocery prices to U.S. support for Israel, an El-Sayed campaign ad featuring Tucker Carlson and El-Sayed’s association with online personality Hasan Piker, whose past comments about Jewish Americans and foreign policy she called deeply disturbing.
“Reasonable people can disagree about Israel, Gaza, and American foreign policy,” Stevens wrote. “But blaming Israel for the price of eggs and elevating Tucker Carlson are not the way to build trust or bring people together.”
Stevens said she asked El-Sayed to reject the rhetoric. Although he eventually said he disagreed with the outside-group ad, she said, she had already been told she was no longer welcome at his events. She argued that the experience raised questions about whether he could represent a state whose residents do not all share his views.
Stevens’ announcement follows a public break with El-Sayed’s campaign in the final days of the race. On Sunday, she appeared with Rogers at Perfecting Church in Detroit, where she said he would support investment in Black-owned businesses. A Rogers campaign spokesperson shared a photograph of the two with the caption, “We have a state to save, Michigan.”
Stevens acknowledged that endorsing a Republican is “no small thing” and that she disagrees with Rogers on many issues. But she said she concluded El-Sayed was not fit to serve in the Senate and expressed hope that Rogers would govern in the independent tradition of the late Sen. John McCain.
The announcement drew near-maniacal criticism from Democrats, some going so far as to say that she was being help captive by her Jewish fiance. Stevens rejected suggestions that her decision was impulsive or directed by others, calling claims that her fiancé or anyone else influenced her choice “sexism dressed up as political analysis.” She also faulted her party for condemning her rather than examining why a longtime Democrat had reached that conclusion.
“We cannot preach inclusion while punishing dissent,” she wrote. “We cannot promise to heal a divided country if we cannot tolerate disagreement among ourselves.”
The race is among the most closely watched contests in the country as Republicans and Democrats vie for control of the Senate. El-Sayed has said he is focused on issues affecting Michigan voters and dismissed the significance of Stevens’ decision.
[READ MORE: Potential 2028er Has Stroke]
