A late break across party lines
Updated November 2, 2026, 8:48 p.m. Central
Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic U.S. Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, has endorsed his Republican opponent Mike Rogers, a reversal that arrived two days before Election Day.
Stevens announced her support for Rogers in a video post Sunday after appearing alongside him at a Detroit church. El-Sayed said he was focused on the issues facing voters, while Rogers said he was honored to have her support, The Associated Press reported.
The contest fills the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters and is one of the races that could affect which party controls the Senate. How much the endorsement changes voters’ choices is not yet known.
How the split opened
El-Sayed narrowly defeated Stevens in the August Democratic primary. Stevens initially backed the party’s nominee, but tensions remained after a contest marked by disagreements including over Israel and the war in Gaza, according to AP.
Before the endorsement, Stevens called on El-Sayed to condemn an advertisement from an independent group that linked U.S. support for Israel to high grocery prices. El-Sayed said the ad was not made by his campaign and that he disagreed with its contents, AP reported.
The two had been expected at a joint church appearance. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who helped organize it, said she asked Stevens not to attend because the dispute had become a distraction. Stevens said El-Sayed had made clear she was no longer welcome in his campaign, Axios reported.
Stevens’ endorsement
In this post, Stevens announced that she was endorsing Rogers. Her former primary opponent’s response and the campaign context are described above.
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