Democrat Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers for Senate two days before the election, after a Detroit church appearance

DETROIT — U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, the Oakland County Democrat who lost the party’s Senate primary in August, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, Nov. 1, two days before Election Day, after appearing with him at Perfecting Church in Detroit.

“Our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away, and he’s right,” Stevens said in a video, CBS News reported. “And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today.” Rogers spokesperson Abby Ronson confirmed the endorsement, NBC News reported.

How it happened

The break followed a week-long feud. Stevens had called on Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed to condemn an outside group’s ad that tied U.S. military aid to Israel to rising grocery prices, which she called antisemitic. She also demanded he pull a campaign ad featuring Tucker Carlson, Axios reported. El-Sayed’s campaign said Friday she would not be welcome, and Rogers said he would welcome her. Rogers called her Friday night, and on Sunday morning she called him back, according to Axios.

“This is more a statement about standing together against hate and the future of this state and this country than it is anything else,” Rogers told reporters. He said Stevens reminded him she remains a Democrat. Stevens said it was “my personal and private decision” and “a Michigan moment, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.” She also praised Rogers’ support for Black-owned businesses, Axios reported.

The reaction

El-Sayed did not name her. “This is a state of 10 million people who deserve a lot better from their government. I’m a lot more focused on the 9,999,998 that are not the ones who are talking about,” he said, according to CBS. A day earlier he had said the outside ad “was not made by me” and that he disagreed with its contents.

Democratic leaders closed ranks. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Senate Democrats “are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed” and, on X, called the move a “despicable betrayal.” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said Stevens is “not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.” Rep. Debbie Dingell said voters want leaders focused on affordability, not “continued efforts to get attention.”

President Donald Trump wrote that “Haley said what few people are willing to say.” Stevens’ chief of staff, Justin German, resigned, saying the team was “shocked and heartbroken” and “wholeheartedly supporting” El-Sayed, CBS reported.

What it means Tuesday

Stevens is not on Tuesday’s ballot, and an endorsement moves no votes by itself. Its test is whether suburban Democrats and independents who backed her in August, especially in Oakland County, stay home, split their tickets or come back to El-Sayed in an open-seat race both parties see as a must-win.

How to vote: Sunday, Nov. 1, was the last day of early in-person voting. Registered voters can still get an absentee ballot in person at their city or township clerk’s office until 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2; completed absentee ballots must reach the clerk by 8 p.m. Tuesday. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, and eligible residents can register and vote at their clerk’s office through 8 p.m. Election Day with proof of residency. Counties must finish canvassing by Nov. 17, and the state Board of Canvassers certifies by Nov. 23. Sample ballots are at Michigan.gov/Vote.

Sources:
CBS News, “Haley Stevens and Mike Rogers appear together at Detroit church” (Nov. 1, 2026; Stevens video, Rogers and El-Sayed remarks, Schumer, Dingell, Hertel, Trump, staff resignation), https://www.cbsnews.com/news/haley-stevens-mike-rogers-together-church-abdul-el-sayed-michigan-senate/
NBC News, “Haley Stevens endorses GOP’s Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race” (Nov. 1, 2026; Ronson confirmation), https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/haley-stevens-endorses-gop-mike-rogers-michigan-senate-race-el-sayed-rcna606831
Axios, Stevens-Rogers church appearance and timeline (Nov. 1, 2026; calls, Carlson ad, Black-owned businesses), https://www.axios.com/2026/11/01/haley-stevens-mike-rogers-church-michigan-senate
Michigan voting dates from the Michigan Department of State election calendar for Nov. 3, 2026.
Photos: “Haley Stevens, official portrait, 116th Congress” (Phi Nguyen / U.S. House, public domain), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Haley_Stevens,_official_portrait,_116th_Congress.jpg; “Mike-Rogers-Head-Shot-2 (3x4 cropped)” (U.S. Congress, public domain), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mike-Rogers-Head-Shot-2_(3x4_cropped).jpg

Detroit · Election 2026 coverage

Tags: Election 2026 · U.S. Senate · Haley Stevens · Mike Rogers · Abdul El-Sayed · Michigan Democrats