Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race, two days before election

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan, a Democrat, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, Nov. 1, two days before the Tuesday, Nov. 3, election. In a video posted to social media, she said, “I don't belong in Abdul's campaign,” and “that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers,” Roll Call reported.¹ Newsweek also reported the endorsement and the video.²

Earlier Sunday, Stevens attended a service at Perfecting Church in Detroit with Rogers, Newsweek and FOX 2 Detroit reported.²³ Speaking to reporters afterward, she said, “Abdul made it clear I was not welcome,” FOX 2 reported.³

The August primary

Kent County's official candidate list for the Aug. 4 primary shows Abdul El-Sayed, Mallory McMorrow and Stevens in the Democratic race.⁴ The AP called the race for El-Sayed at 9:56 a.m. on Aug. 5 with 99% counted, when he led by 1%, and McMorrow, who had suspended her campaign, had 4%, Bridge Michigan reported.⁵

In a statement on Aug. 5, Stevens wrote, “I want to congratulate Abdul El-Sayed on winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.”⁶ On Wednesday, Oct. 28, she told CNN, “I still very much want our Democratic nominee, his name is Abdul, to win this race,” The National News Desk reported.⁷

The days before

On Friday, Oct. 30, Stevens posted a statement on X calling an ad by the outside group Rebellion PAC antisemitic and urging El-Sayed to condemn it, Spectrum News reported.⁸ The ad links U.S. military aid to Israel with grocery prices, CBS News reported.⁹ The same day, El-Sayed said Stevens “seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago,” Spectrum reported,⁸ and Rogers called her “a courageous leader” in an online post, according to CBS.⁹

On Saturday, Oct. 31, El-Sayed said the ad “was not made by me” and that he disagrees with its contents.⁹⁸

Stevens had been expected at a Sunday, Nov. 1, event with El-Sayed and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. Roll Call reported that El-Sayed's campaign asked her to stay away from campaign events.¹ U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who helped organize the joint appearance, told the AP, “I'm the one who pulled it because it had become way too distracting,” Bridge Michigan reported.¹⁰ On Sunday, El-Sayed appeared with Clyburn at Northend Church of God in Christ in Detroit, without Stevens.¹¹¹

Candidates on the ballot and their responses

Six candidates are listed for the open seat, alphabetically by last name.¹²¹³ “None found” refers to reports opened as of Sunday afternoon.

• Lydia Christensen, Libertarian: None found.
• Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic: “At the end of the day, I actually don't think about Haley Stevens,” he said outside the Detroit church, The Washington Sun reported.¹¹
• Walter P. Kristy, Natural Law: None found.
• Tim Long, U.S. Taxpayers: None found.
• Douglas P. Marsh, Green: None found.
• Mike Rogers, Republican: “I am honored to have Haley Stevens' support today,” he said, FOX 2 Detroit reported.³

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said Stevens “has abandoned everything she claims to care about,” and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the endorsement a “despicable betrayal,” Roll Call reported.¹

What the records do not show

• SignalData did not open Stevens' video or the X posts; their words are as outlets reported them.
• The accounts of who kept Stevens from the Sunday event differ, as quoted above. No report opened establishes a link between the ad, that event and the endorsement beyond Stevens' own statements.
• The Michigan Secretary of State's results and candidate pages could not be opened, so the primary figures are election-week news counts.
• Kent County's general-election list, marked unofficial and updated Aug. 21, shows five of the six candidates, without Kristy.¹⁴ CBS Detroit and Ballotpedia list all six; Ballotpedia also lists four independent write-in candidates, not checked against a state record.¹²¹³
• SignalData did not contact the candidates.