Michigan Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, two days before Election Day, a major shakeup in a top battleground race that could determine which party controls the Senate, NBC News reported.
“Hey, Michigan, as you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” Stevens said in a video posted to social media, as quoted by NBC News. “And he’s right, and that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today. I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign.”
BREAKING: Dem Rep. Haley Stevens officially endorses Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan Senate. pic.twitter.com/me2adSLtN9
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 1, 2026
The endorsement came after Stevens attended a church service in Detroit with Rogers on Sunday morning, according to the Associated Press, as published by PBS News. Rogers spokesperson Abby Ronson confirmed the joint appearance to NBC News and said, “Mike welcomes her.”
From unity event to the other side
Stevens had been uninvited from a joint event with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed scheduled for the same day, according to the AP. El-Sayed defeated Stevens by a slim margin in the August Democratic primary, the AP reported.
The AP described intraparty tensions boiling over in the days before the election. NBC News reported that the break followed a dispute over an outside ad that Stevens said was antisemitic, after which El-Sayed’s campaign asked her to stop attending campaign events.
The turnaround was swift. Just days ago, Stevens said she would support the Democratic ticket on Election Day, including El-Sayed, NBC News reported. Earlier in the week, Stevens’ fiance told The Detroit News he would vote for Rogers, and hours later Stevens went on CNN to reaffirm her support for El-Sayed while urging his campaign to “shut out the hate and call it out,” according to the AP.
A blow in a must-win race
The Washington Post called it a stunning turn for a lawmaker who had previously said she wanted a Democratic victory in the Senate race.
Rogers is backed by President Donald Trump, the AP noted. NBC News described the contest as a top battleground race that could determine which party controls the Senate.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Rogers said even Democrats in Michigan are calling El-Sayed “too extreme,” and he criticized El-Sayed over an ad Rogers described as deeply racist, according to a Fox News post on X.
Democratic allies of El-Sayed have spent the weekend responding to Stevens’ criticisms of the party’s nominee, NBC News reported. El-Sayed’s campaign had not publicly responded to the endorsement in the reports reviewed by Daily Beltway at the time of publication.
Michigan voters go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Sources
Sources cited
- https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/haley-stevens-endorses-gop-mike-rogers-michigan-senate-race-el-sayed-rcna606831
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/11/01/democrat-haley-stevens-praises-michigan-gop-senate-candidate-mike-rogers/
- https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/turmoil-in-michigans-senate-race-as-democrat-haley-stevens-appears-with-republican-mike-rogers
- https://x.com/FoxNews/status/2116953358145647062
Sources
- Original post: Fox News (@FoxNews) on X, Nov 1, 2026
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