Hillary Clinton: Stevens endorsement of Rogers could end up helping El-Sayed

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Rep. Haley Stevens’s (D-Mich.) last-minute decision to endorse former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed could end up helping the Democratic Senate nominee.

“I have no idea what her thinking was … but I don‘t think it‘s going to have much impact. In fact, if it has any impact, I think it will end up helping Abdul,” Clinton said during an appearance on CNN.

On Sunday, Stevens, who previously backed her former primary opponent, endorsed Rogers following an appearance at a Detroit church event. Her decision came after a public feud with El-Sayed in the preceding days that stemmed from a political advertisement tying Israel to high grocery prices in the U.S.

Stevens released a statement saying El-Sayed did not condemn the ad forcefully enough.

El-Sayed and Stevens were initially scheduled to make a joint appearance at an event on Sunday in Detroit alongside Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), but El-Sayed asked her to stay away from his campaign events and disinvited her. On Sunday, Stevens appeared at church alongside Rogers instead.

Following her decision to reverse her support for El-Sayed, Stevens received backlash from Democrats .

In a statement posted to the social platform X on Monday, Stevens said she chose Rogers “with the hope that he can serve in the tradition of John McCain: a senator willing to put country before party and stand up to his own side when conscience requires it.”

El-Sayed brushed off Stevens’s switch, telling reporters , “At the end of the day, I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens.”

The Senate race in Michigan has grown competitive, with nonpartisan election forecaster Decision Desk HQ saying El-Sayed is “likely to win” the race. Nonpartisan political handicapper Cook Political Report also shifted its rating of the race from toss-up to “lean Democrat.”