Haley Stevens Endorses Mike Rogers After Detroit Church Appearance
Stevens threw her support behind GOP Senate hopeful Mike Rogers on Sunday, November 1, after joining him at Perfecting Church in Detroit. Her announcement was a sharp turn in a close Michigan race that could affect control of the Senate, with Election Day set for Tuesday, November 3.
Stevens had been scheduled to appear at a separate Detroit church event with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Jim Clyburn. The plans fell apart amid a public dispute between Stevens and El-Sayed over an outside group’s advertisement linking grocery prices to U.S. support for Israel. El-Sayed said the ad was not produced by his team and that he objected to it.
In a video posted after the church appearance, Stevens said El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign, adding that she was endorsing Rogers. Before entering the church, she said she favored investment in businesses owned by Black people and that it was a policy Rogers would pursue.
Rep. Debbie Dingell said she had asked Stevens not to attend the planned event with El-Sayed because the dispute had become a distraction and was upsetting the church’s bishop. El-Sayed’s campaign had also urged Stevens to avoid its remaining appearances. Stevens had said days earlier that she would vote for El-Sayed. The candidates are competing for the seat held by retiring Democrat Gary Peters.
Stevens’ Rogers Endorsement Deepens Democrats’ Michigan Rift
Rep. Haley Stevens’ endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers is a damaging blow to Democrats trying to hold Michigan’s Senate seat. The Michigan Democrat announced her support on Sunday, November 1, after appearing with Rogers at Perfecting Church in Detroit, just days before voters decide a race that could shape control of the Senate.
Stevens had been expected to join Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Jim Clyburn at a separate church event intended to show party unity. Instead, the plan collapsed amid their public dispute over an outside group’s ad connecting grocery costs with U.S. support for Israel. El-Sayed said the ad was not produced by his team and that he objected to it.
The dispute has now culminated in Stevens backing the Republican who is running against her party’s nominee. In a video, Stevens cited El-Sayed’s statement that she was no longer welcome in his campaign as she endorsed Rogers. Earlier, she said Rogers would take on investing in Black-owned businesses.
Rep. Debbie Dingell said she asked Stevens to skip the planned event because the friction had become distracting and upset the church’s bishop. But the public rupture has already overshadowed Democrats’ effort to focus voters on the contest. Stevens had said days earlier that she would vote for El-Sayed.
Stevens’ Break With El-Sayed Puts Michigan Democrats’ Divisions on Display
Michigan Democrats’ effort to close ranks behind Abdul El-Sayed has been upended by Rep. Haley Stevens’ endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers. Stevens announced her support on Sunday, November 1, after appearing with Rogers at Perfecting Church in Detroit, in a tight Senate race with control of the chamber at stake.
The rupture followed Stevens’ call for El-Sayed to denounce an advertisement from an outside group linking grocery prices to U.S. support for Israel. El-Sayed said his campaign did not produce the ad and that he disagreed with its contents. The exchange became a public feud in the final stretch of the campaign, rather than the united closing message Democrats had planned.
Stevens had been scheduled to appear with El-Sayed and Rep. Jim Clyburn at another Detroit church. Rep. Debbie Dingell said she asked Stevens not to attend because the disagreement had become a distraction and upset the bishop. El-Sayed’s campaign had also urged Stevens to steer clear of its remaining gatherings.
In her endorsement video, Stevens said El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign, then backed Rogers. Her decision reverses her recent statement that she would vote for El-Sayed. The episode puts the consequences of the party’s internal conflict squarely before Michigan voters ahead of Tuesday’s election.
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