The withdrawal of Stevens’ endorsement of El-Sayed, days before the US midterm elections on November 3, caused political upheaval in Michigan. Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens explained on X why she supported Republican candidate Mike Rogers over her own party member Abdul El-Sayed in the senatorial race.
“After losing the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, I did what I believed was right. Despite deep disappointment – mine and that of the thousands of people who worked so hard for our campaign – I endorsed Abdul. Stevens detailed, “The endorsement was welcomed; the people behind it seemed to be forgotten. There was little effort to listen to the voters who supported me or bridge the real disagreements our primary had exposed. But blaming Israel for the price of eggs and elevating Tucker Carlson are not the way to build trust or bring people together. “He took Piker to college campuses to tell our youth that Iran is not our enemy. Just days ago, Piker compared efforts to win over Jewish voters in West Bloomfield to canvassing a KKK neighborhood. Abdul condemned those remarks, but his decision to embrace Piker in the first place raised serious questions about his judgment and his ability to bring people together. I asked Abdul to reject that rhetoric clearly. I wasn’t asking him to change his platform. “But Michigan has to elect a senator and there is no neutral choice that absolves me of responsibility. Once I concluded that Abdul El-Sayed is not fit to serve in the United States Senate, I had to confront who should.
Haley Stevens just betrayed them by endorsing the very Republican she said she wanted to run against. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said, “Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future. I put the party first and hoped we could move forward together,” Stevens further said. The lawmaker noted that she was instead “shut out”. Stevens further said, “Reasonable people can disagree about Israel, Gaza, and American foreign policy. I was offering him an opportunity to reassure people, reject division, and demonstrate the leadership required of a United States Senator,” Stevens said. I chose Mike Rogers, with the hope that he can serve in the tradition of John McCain: a senator willing to put country before party and stand up to his own side when conscience requires it,” Stevens said.
Stevens’ move also drew backlash from her own party members , with New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani saying, “Working class people’s lives are on the ballot on Tuesday—their healthcare, their rent, their bills.
“Some critics have also dragged my fiancé into this, suggesting he or others must have made my decision for me.
Stevens categorically said her fiancé and others had nothing to do with her decision to support Rogers. Think about what that says. A woman can serve in Congress, run statewide, and fight for her convictions, and still be told that when she makes a choice people dislike, someone else must be pulling the strings,” she said.
