Stevens Backs Rogers, Deepening Michigan Democrats’ Senate- race Rift
Stevens had initially endorsed El-Sayed after losing to him in the Democratic primary in August. On Sunday, two days before the general election, she switched her support to Rogers, setting off a public dispute within Michigan’s Democratic Party as voters prepared to choose the state’s next senator.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the reversal a betrayal, while former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it harmed Michigan families. Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel said Stevens was no longer a member of the party. Multiple members of her staff resigned.
Stevens said she was concerned about El-Sayed’s positions and his response to an advertisement by an outside group. The ad linked U.S. military aid to Israel with high grocery prices; Stevens called it antisemitic and demanded El-Sayed condemn it. He said his campaign had not produced the ad and that he disagreed with its contents. El-Sayed later urged Stevens not to attend his campaign events.
El-Sayed played down the rupture at a Monday event, saying he was focused on Michigan residents’ everyday concerns. His campaign said it raised $2.4 million on Sunday, a single-day record. A final New York Times/Siena poll published before Stevens’ switch showed El-Sayed leading by 11 points. The endorsement’s effect on Tuesday’s result remains uncertain.
Stevens’ Last-Minute Rogers Endorsement Hands Democrats a Public Split
With Michigan voters about to decide a Senate race, Stevens turned away from her party’s nominee and endorsed Rogers on Sunday, after first supporting El-Sayed following her August primary loss. The move has made a last-minute spectacle of a race in which voters’ concerns include affordability and health care.
Democratic leaders condemned the switch. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a betrayal, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it endangered Michigan families’ interests, and party chair Curtis Hertel said Stevens was no longer a party member. Multiple members of Stevens’ staff resigned.
Stevens said the break came amid concerns about El-Sayed and an outside group’s ad linking U.S. aid to Israel with grocery prices. She called the ad antisemitic and pressed El-Sayed to denounce it. He said his campaign did not make it and that he disagreed with its contents; he later asked Stevens to stay away from campaign events. Her choice to back the Republican nominee rather than work through that dispute with her party’s candidate has put internal conflict ahead of the campaign’s policy stakes.
El-Sayed said Monday that he was focused on residents’ day-to-day concerns. His campaign said it raised a record $2.4 million on Sunday. A poll published before Stevens’ reversal put him 11 points ahead, but the endorsement’s impact on Tuesday’s election is unclear.
Stevens’ Defection Puts Democrats’ El-Sayed Concerns in View
Stevens’ decision to back Rogers has drawn fury from Democratic leaders, but the dispute also raises a question the party cannot answer simply by attacking her: whether other voters share her concerns about El-Sayed. Stevens lost to him in the Democratic primary in August, initially endorsed him afterward, and switched to Rogers on Sunday.
Stevens said she objected to an outside group’s advertisement that linked U.S. aid to Israel with high grocery prices. She called the ad antisemitic and demanded that El-Sayed condemn it. He said it was not produced by his campaign and that he disagreed with its contents. Stevens also pointed to concerns about El-Sayed’s positions and associations.
Democratic leaders responded with denunciations. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Stevens’ move a betrayal, while Michigan party chair Curtis Hertel said she was no longer a party member. Multiple members of her staff resigned. The party’s focus on punishing Stevens risks obscuring the substantive concerns she says prompted her decision.
El-Sayed said Monday that he was concentrating on Michigan residents rather than Stevens. His campaign reported a record $2.4 million in donations on Sunday. A poll released before the endorsement showed him leading by 11 points, but it cannot measure the effect of the late break. Voters will decide the race Tuesday.
Reported by CBS Chicago, CBS News, The Washington Examiner, CBS Detroit, Mother Jones, Townhall, FOX 2 Detroit, Daily Kos, PBS NewsHour, ABC News, Twitchy, New York Post.
