Rep. Haley Stevens endorses GOP candidate Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race

Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers on Sunday, a major shake-up in the final stages of a top battleground race that could determine which party controls the Senate. “Hey, Michigan, as you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” Stevens said in a video. “And he’s right, and that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,” she said. “I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign.” The congresswoman’s announcement marks a whirlwind turnaround from just days ago, when she said she would support her party’s ticket and planned to attend a campaign event on Sunday to support Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. But leading up to the rally, Stevens and El-Sayed released dueling critical public statements, prompting concerns from Democrats that the spat was a distraction from what is widely seen as one of the most competitive Senate races. Stevens had said that she expected El-Sayed to condemn an ad from an outside group that she said was antisemitic. El-Sayed responded, accusing Stevens of being “intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago.” NBC News reported Saturday that El-Sayed’s campaign had asked Stevens to no longer attend campaign events following the dueling statements. In her endorsement video, which was less than two minutes, Stevens referenced El-Sayed’s ties to Hasan Piker, who has appeared with El-Sayed at campaign events. “I do not stand with Hasan Piker, who gets trafficked on our college campuses,” she said. “A dear friend of mine earlier today was saying that education is the ballot, and she’s absolutely right. And what our students see, what our children see, and who we are as Michiganders is not hate, and is not what we are getting out from our Democratic nominee right now.” Stevens said she was “still a very proud Democrat.” Speaking with reporters shortly after she posted her endorsement, Stevens reiterated that El-Sayed “made very clear that I was not welcome in his campaign.” “At some point, you got to look at who’s standing for country,” she added later. NBC News has reached out to El-Sayed’s and Rogers’ campaigns for comment on Stevens’ endorsement. Speaking to reporters after Stevens, Rogers said he was “honored” to have the congresswoman’s support. He said that sometimes “the hate grows so loud that it jeopardizes some of our citizens in this state.” He referenced Jews hiding symbols of their faith and being “harassed for being Jewish.” “This is more a statement about standing together against hate and the future of this state and this country than it is anything else,” Rogers said. “And I just want you to know: She reminded me at the end of the call, ‘Remember, I’m still a Democrat.’” President Donald Trump praised Stevens for her endorsement of Rogers, saying in a Truth Social post that she “showed great and almost unprecedented loyalty to the Great People of Michigan with what she did.” “It’s a thing called bravery, and few people have it like just displayed by Congresswoman Haley Stevens!” he said. Stevens’ announcement came after she appeared alongside Rogers at church in Detroit, Rogers spokesperson Abby Ronson confirmed. “Mike welcomes her,” Ronson told NBC News ahead of Stevens’ endorsement. Stevens’ criticism of El-Sayed, her onetime primary opponent, and appearance alongside Rogers on Sunday have infuriated Democratic allies of El-Sayed, who have spent the weekend responding to Stevens’ criticisms of the party’s candidate in the crucial window before Election Day. Even within her own congressional office, Stevens’ decision to endorse Rogers appeared to have quick ripple effects. A person familiar with the matter confirmed that Stevens’ longtime chief of staff Justin German, as well as several other staff members in her congressional office, are resigning over Stevens’ decision to endorse Rogers. In a statement, German said his team was “shocked and heartbroken by Congresswoman Stevens’ decision to support Mike Rogers.” “As of this morning, many members of our team have resigned, including myself,” he said later in the statement. “We encourage everyone to exercise their civic duty, vote for Abdul and Democrats up and down the ballot, and stand up for the America we all believe in.” Beyond her office, the Democratic National Committee’s Black Caucus Chair Virgie Rollins excoriated Stevens, saying in a statement that the congresswoman “revealed herself to be a sellout who used Black Michiganders for a political stunt.” “Congresswoman Stevens has lost her way, and Michiganders know that Mike Rogers is a shill for Trump and has failed Michigan,” Rollins said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who supported Stevens in the primary but endorsed El-Sayed after his primary victory, said in a statement that “Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed.” He said that El-Sayed “will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors.” A Democratic operative who has worked in Michigan questioned why more state Democratic leaders were not immediately coming out hard against Stevens’ move. “Ask yourself where is Gretchen Whitmer right now?” this person said. “What is she doing?” Whitmer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “No one’s quite sure what’s going on here, but the party has basically said, if you’re a surrogate, go on the attack against her [Stevens] right now,” this person added. Still, it’s unclear how much Stevens’ endorsement could affect the race’s outcome. More than 2 million votes have already been cast in the state, according to NBC News data.