Democrats try to unify in wake of Stevens, El-Sayed Michigan Sen feud

Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, has become an unexpected major figure in the ongoing feud between Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and his former primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens.

After her effort to coordinate a joint appearance between the rivals on Nov. 1 fell apart, Dingell has done multiple media interviews to redirect focus from Stevens' endorsement of Republican nominee Mike Rogers to the economic concerns that Democrats hope will deliver El-Sayed to victory.

"My brain right now is focused on the election tomorrow and the issues we should be talking about," Dingell told CNN Nov. 2. "People being worried about whether they can afford their groceries, put gas in their car, go to the doctor."

Ahead of the Nov. 3 election, Democrats have been rushing to move past the distraction caused by Stevens, who spent the last several days criticizing the nominee’s response to an ad from an outside political action committee before publicly endorsing Rogers. Party leaders have forcefully condemned Stevens and rallied behind El-Sayed, who they hope will help them hold onto a key U.S. Senate seat. 

The question now is whether her defection is merely a distraction from El-Sayed’s closing message, a blow that could help put Rogers over the edge, or an unexpected unifier between the party’s moderate and progressive wings.

More than 2.3 million votes have already been cast in Michigan, according to the Michigan Secretary of State’s office, which may blunt the impact of late-breaking events.

But the episode drew attention away from events El-Sayed had with South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, who was the first African American to serve as U.S. House Majority Whip.

Black voters mostly supported Stevens in the primary. Stevens’ endorsement of Rogers, and subsequent string of interviews, have become the focal point of El-Sayed’s own campaign appearances, despite his efforts to shift the conversation back to economic and social policy.

“Please don't get distracted by the political drama,” El-Sayed said in one fundraising pitch sent via the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “I promise you I won't.”

Both parties say they're optimistic

Caitlin Legacki, a Democratic strategist who worked on Stevens’ primary campaign, said she expected El-Sayed to still win, noting that top Democrats from across the state and country have enthusiastically backed him.

“I just think that the pool of voters who are persuaded by Haley Stevens' personal voting decisions is very small,” Legacki told USA TODAY. “Barack Obama and Kamala Harris were both here, and I have a hard time believing that what Haley does and says is going to outrank them.” 

(Legacki’s contract with the Stevens campaign was terminated in July 2026 after Legacki's work with Palantir came to light. She continued to support the Michigan Democrat.)

In some ways, the Stevens news cycle has helped the nominee. The El-Sayed campaign said it raised $2.4 million on Nov. 1, its biggest fundraising day to date. 

The amount alone should be a strong sign of El-Sayed's momentum heading into Election Day, said Mario Morrow, a longtime Detroit-area political consultant, strategist, and also adviser for Stevens' primary campaign, told USA TODAY. Morrow said El-Sayed has to keep moving forward and put Stevens' actions in the rearview mirror.

"He’s got to stay calm, show some resilience, and keep avoiding as many of these questions about Haley Stevens as he can," Morrow said. "Abdul has to say, 'Hey, she made a decision, it’s a democratic process, and I want people to support me. She’s not on the ballot  — I am." 

Morrow presented Stevens' defection as a reverberation of the close and hard-fought primary.

"We lost by less than 1%. Hey, I know it really hurts; We ran a really strong campaign," Morrow said. "But, Haley, you now have to put on your big-girl pants and accept defeat. The people have spoken."

Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said the Stevens defection was a “blessing in disguise.” The ensuing backlash had given Democrats, including moderates running in swing seats, a new window to criticize Rogers. 

“Democrats who won Trump districts and top party leaders are reaffirming their support for Abdul — a great signal to Michigan Democratic voters — at a volume that would not be happening had Stevens not become a turncoat,” Green wrote in a social media post. 

Republicans, however, argue that the Democratic infighting could create an opportunity for Rogers, who has spent the general election making direct appeals to voters who backed Stevens in the primary, such as Black and Jewish Democrats.

Jason Roe, a Michigan-based GOP strategist who is working on Rep. Tom Barrett’s re-election campaign, said he’s optimistic about Rogers’ chances despite polling showing El-Sayed ahead. 

“I think it's going to do less with changing voters' minds,” Roe told USA TODAY. “I think it is going to do more with creating momentum for Rogers and winning undecideds.”