Haley Stevens backs Republican rival in Michigan Senate race

Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens has endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race, breaking with her party less than two days before Election Day. The move could affect the result in the swing state, DR reports.

Stevens lost the Democratic primary to progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed by about 15,000 votes. DR’s US correspondent Trine Maria Ilsøe said Democrats fear some voters who might have supported El-Sayed will follow Stevens’s recommendation and vote for Rogers.

The two Democrats have been at odds since the primary. Stevens initially said she supported El-Sayed but has not appeared publicly with him since, and has criticised his positions on Israel and the war in Gaza. She also demanded that he condemn a video campaign supporting him that blamed Israel for high food prices in the United States. El-Sayed refused, and, according to The New York Times, asked Stevens to stay away from their first planned public appearance together since the primary.

Stevens announced her support for Rogers in a video posted on X. In a now-deleted post in August, she had called him a “dangerous rubber stamp” for Donald Trump’s agenda.

The decision drew sharp criticism. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a “despicable betrayal,” while Senator Bernie Sanders accused Stevens of having a “fragile ego.” Members of Stevens’s campaign staff also resigned in protest. Trump praised her move on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Stevens defended her decision in an interview with CNN, saying she was being honest with her constituents. Ilsøe said El-Sayed remains divisive among Democrats, including over his criticism of US policy towards Israel.