Democrat Haley Stevens endorses El-Sayed's GOP opponent in critical Michigan Senate race

Rep. Haley Stevens − who lost Michigan's Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed − endorsed his Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers, in the state's battleground race for the upper chamber.

The stunning cross-party endorsement comes as Democrats have sought to rally around El-Sayed in a race that could help decide control of the U.S. Senate. Instead, efforts to negotiate a joint appearance between the former rivals descended into a messy news cycle that threatened to distract from the nominee's closing message on economic concerns.

"I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign," Stevens, who called herself "a very proud Democrat," said in a video post on social media. "This is the conscience of the Senate right now and our Michigan moment."

Both candidates were expected to attend a joint church event Nov. 1 with Democratic South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn. But El-Sayed’s campaign had asked Stevens not to attend last-minute campaigning after she released an extensive statement Oct. 30 calling on El-Sayed to condemn an ad from an outside political action committee.

Instead, Stevens and her fiancé attended a church service with Rogers and his wife on Nov. 1 at Perfecting Church on Detroit’s east side.

Stevens sought to explain her decision in a social media video, a news conference with Rogers and an, at times, combative TV interview.

"This is just a weight off my shoulders, okay? Abdul has been getting angrier and angrier," Stevens told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "I'm making a decision here, and that's just where I landed on this. I woke up this morning, clear-eyed, fresh, and focused on what was in my heart, and that's that."

Stevens' decision shocked friends and party leaders, including many who publicly supported her over El-Sayed in the contentious August primary. Some Democrats said Stevens had told them as recently as Oct. 31 that she planned to support El-Sayed. As the day went on, a few allies expressed concerns about her well-being.

Schumer on Stevens' endorsement: 'A despicable betrayal'

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who said in June that he thought Stevens had the best chance of beating Rogers, called her endorsement of the Republican a "despicable betrayal." Schumer said Senate Democrats were united in support for El-Sayed "because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan."

Former Rep. Susan Wild, a Pennsylvania Democrat who previously lived with Stevens, said the endorsement seemed out of character for someone who had always been a staunch Democrat. It also contradicted what Democrats had heard ahead of Nov. 1 about Stevens' plans.

The Michigan Democrat had told House Democrats that she planned to lay low and not attend the El-Sayed event with Clyburn after El-Sayed asked her to stay away, Wild told USA TODAY.

"I can't tell you how mind-blowing it is for people, especially because of what's at stake in the Senate," Wild said. "It could come down to the wire, and what Haley's done could really change the outcome."

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, told NBC News' "Meet the Press" Nov. 1 that he had spoken to Stevens the night before, at which point she said she planned to vote for the entire Democratic Party ticket. After Stevens' announcement, Raskin told Axios he was "dumbfounded that Haley told me one thing last night and changed her mind today."

El-Sayed, who campaigned with Clyburn as scheduled Nov. 1, told reporters he wasn't interested in discussing the Stevens-Rogers alliance.

"I actually don't think about Haley Stevens," El-Sayed said. "I think about the, like I said, the 9,999,998 people who are not those two. Because you know what, I'm just less interested in the politics of it all than I am in the policy of it all."

An ongoing feud

Stevens' endorsement put an end to a months-long effort to unite the pair after a bitter primary battle.

Ever since El-Sayed, a former Wayne County public health director, narrowly defeated the four-term lawmaker in the Aug. 4 primary, his task has been to solidify his support with Black voters and moderate Democrats, many of whom preferred his opponent. Stevens seemed willing to help him make the case, and quickly pushed for unity after the primary.

"Donald Trump and Mike Rogers want us to come out of this primary tired and divided, so their billionaire backers can come in and let multimillionaire Mike Rogers walk away with this Senate seat," Stevens said in a statement Aug. 5. "I’m not going to let that happen."

But the two had not campaigned together in months. In late October, Stevens' fiancé Jason Turkish, a Democratic megadonor, endorsed Rogers and attended a campaign event with him. Stevens said she still planned to support El-Sayed, and Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Michigan, helped negotiate a joint appearance with Stevens and El-Sayed days before the election.

That effort crumbled Oct. 30, when Stevens called on El-Sayed to condemn an ad from Rebellion PAC, a political action committee founded by leftwing commentator Cenk Uygur, that blamed voters' cost of living concerns on aid sent to Israel. The ad closed with an image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and two of his allies, as the narrator says, "Mike Rogers is for they/them."

Though El-Sayed's campaign said they had nothing to do with the ad, Stevens said that statement didn't go far enough and called on him to apologize for his own rhetoric criticizing funding the U.S. sends to Israel.

Instead, El-Sayed accused Stevens of "relitigating" the primary she lost, and later asked her to not attend his campaign's final events to prevent a distraction.

The back-and-forth created a window for Rogers, who has made direct appeals to Stevens' supporters since the August primary. At a press availability with Stevens Nov. 1, Rogers said he was proud to earn her vote. "Candidly, I'm glad I'm not running against Haley Stevens today," Rogers said.

Jason Roe, a Michigan-based Republican strategist, said El-Sayed's "defiant" statement contributed to the breakdown between the two.

"For all the attacks on Haley for this decision, I don't see anybody blaming Abdul," Roe said. "He had the endorsement. He fumbled this whole thing. He mismanaged it."

Stevens attributed her opposition to El-Sayed over his campaigning with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, Uygur's nephew, who has become a lightning rod in the campaign for criticism over his comments about Israel and Jewish Americans.

"I do not stand with Hasan Piker, who gets trafficked on our college campuses," Stevens said. “A dear friend of mine earlier today was saying today that education was on the ballot and she’s absolutely right. What our students see, what our children see and who we are as Michiganders is not hate, and is not what we’re getting out from our Democratic nominee right now."

Piker filed a $72 million defamation lawsuit against CNN political commentator Scott Jennings for what he alleged were false quotes calling for the lynching of Black people.

El-Sayed has a complicated relationship with some Jewish voters in the state over his stance on Israel, as well as with Black voters, whose support was split during his contentious primary with Stevens.

"My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters. Antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms," El-Sayed said in an August statement. "And while politicians and pundits try to make this race about a Twitch streamer, we're going to be talking about gas, groceries, good schools, and healthcare."

Trump has repeatedly attacked El-Sayed on the campaign trail and accused him without evidence of embracing extremism. Trump welcomed Stevens’ endorsement, calling her "a Highly Respected Democrat" with "huge" support from African American and Jewish communities.

"She showed great and almost unprecedented loyalty to the Great People of Michigan with what she did," Trump said. "It’s a thing called bravery, and few people have it like just displayed by Congresswoman Haley Stevens!"

Democrats, meanwhile, widely condemned Stevens support for Rogers. Dingell said in order to improve the lives of Michiganders, voters worried about paying their mortgage or the high cost of groceries should elect El-Sayed.

"They want leaders focused on making their lives more affordable," Dingell said. "That’s what they’re talking about, not Congressman Stevens’ continued efforts to get attention."

Stevens' longtime Chief of Staff Justin German said in a statement that he and "many members" of Stevens' team resigned ahead of her endorsement.

Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said Stevens was no longer a member and wouldn’t be in the future.

"Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future," Hertel said on social media.