Rep. Haley Stevens’ decision to endorse Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers appears to have come as a surprise, following a weekend dispute with Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign over whether she should attend its events.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, a fellow Michigan Democrat, said Stevens told her late Saturday that reports of an upcoming endorsement were untrue.
“It’s very hard,” Dingell told a local television station Sunday night. She said Stevens had described the endorsement reports as a rumor. Dingell added that Stevens later texted her while watching her on television, but said she was upset and concerned and did not want to be distracted from the campaign.
About five hours after their late-night conversation, Stevens appeared beside Rogers at a Detroit church service. The gathering had been intended as a show of unity for El-Sayed, whose campaign had sought support from Stevens after she won the Black vote. Instead, Stevens stood with Rogers after El-Sayed’s campaign asked her to stay away.
Rogers said he believed the split followed a series of tensions, including El-Sayed’s decision to disinvite Stevens from a campaign event. He said Stevens had been treated rudely and that some people in the African-American community had also felt slighted. Rogers said Stevens reached out that morning to ask whether she could join him at church, and that he welcomed her support.
The endorsement came two days before Election Day, in a closely watched race that could shift a Democratic-held Senate seat to Republicans and help President Donald Trump’s party retain control of the chamber.
The relationship between Stevens and El-Sayed had already become strained. Stevens had urged him to condemn an outside group’s advertisement that she said blamed Israel for high grocery prices. Her fiancé, Democratic donor and lawyer Jason Turkish, said earlier in the week that he planned to vote for Rogers, prompting concern among El-Sayed’s campaign and other Democrats.
El-Sayed’s campaign then asked Stevens to avoid its events through Election Day, saying her presence could distract from the race. In a video posted on social media, Stevens said she did not belong in his campaign.
Rogers accused Democrats of turning toward hateful rhetoric aimed at a group of people. Stevens’ mother, Maria Marcotte, told Reuters that her daughter was troubled by language she felt was frightening voters.
Despite the public rift, El-Sayed’s campaign said it raised $1.2 million in the four hours after Stevens announced her endorsement of Rogers. It was the campaign’s second-strongest fundraising day since the August primary.
The Senate race is rated a toss-up. Republicans currently hold a 53–47 majority. Midterm elections have often shifted power toward the party outside the White House, and Republicans have focused on keeping control of the Senate as Democrats are expected to pursue a House majority.
