Haley Stevens Endorses Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate Race After Appearing With Him at Detroit Church
Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers on Sunday, two days before the November 3 midterm elections, after appearing with him at a Detroit church service. The move reversed her earlier backing of Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers on Sunday after appearing with him at a service at Perfecting Church in Detroit, two days before the November 3 midterm elections. Stevens, who represents areas outside Detroit, arrived with Rogers at around 11:20 a.m. for a family and friends day at the church, according to USA TODAY.
Stevens lost the August Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official from Ann Arbor, after a contentious primary campaign. She first backed El-Sayed in the general election race against Rogers, a former member of the U.S. House. She had been expected to campaign with El-Sayed on Sunday at a Detroit church with U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina. Instead, she appeared with Rogers.
Stevens had called on El-Sayed to condemn an ad by an independent group that blamed high grocery prices in the United States on Israel. In a social media video, she said, “I do not belong in Abdul’s campaign.” She also said, “I do not stand with Hasan Piker, who gets trafficked on our college campuses.”
Democratic response and the polling picture
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, criticized the move in a statement and said Senate Democrats were united in support for El-Sayed. USA TODAY reported that the endorsement could create problems for Democrats, who had a slight edge in the contest in recent polls.
According to the RealClearPolitics average cited by USA TODAY, El-Sayed leads Rogers by 3.5 percentage points in the race for Michigan’s open Senate seat. The contest is one of the races that will help decide control of Congress. Republicans hold the House by 218-214 and the Senate by 53-47. All House seats and more than a third of Senate seats are on the ballot on November 3, and the results will decide who controls Congress for President Donald Trump’s final two years in office.
Voting in Michigan and across the country is set for Tuesday, with the Senate seat among the contests that both parties have watched closely in the final days of the campaign.
Reporting based on coverage by USA TODAY.
