A lot of people are ‘feeling betrayed’ by Stevens’s reversal: Jaime Harrison

Former Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said people are “feeling betrayed” by Rep. Haley Stevens’s (D-Mich.) last-minute decision to endorse former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Senate race.

“I believe when you give your word, you keep it,” Harrison said during an appearance on The Hill’s broadcasting partner NewsNation. “I think there are a lot of folks who are feeling betrayed because Haley committed to supporting Abdul, and now she’s reneged on that commitment.”

Stevens endorsed Rogers on Sunday following an appearance at a Detroit church event. Her decision comes after a public feud with El-Sayed stemming from a political advertisement.

The ad tied Israel to high grocery prices in the U.S., which resulted in Stevens releasing a statement saying El-Sayed did not condemn the ad forcefully enough.

The two Democrats were initially scheduled to appear at an event on Sunday in Detroit alongside Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), but El-Sayed asked his former primary opponent to stay away from his campaign events and disinvited her from Sunday’s event.

In a statement posted to the social platform X on Monday, Stevens defended her decision to back Rogers, saying, “once I concluded that Abdul El-Sayed is not fit to serve in the United States Senate, I had to confront who should.”

“I chose Mike 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,” she added.

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

During his NewsNation appearance, Harrison said, “You don’t have to agree with every position a nominee takes, but commitment should mean something.”

Former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, who was also part of the NewsNation interview, said she thinks the Michigan Senate race might be won by Republicans but could not say the same for Texas or Kansas.

“I think we keep the Senate,” she said. “I think we keep Ohio. I think we win Michigan.”

Nonpartisan election forecaster Decision Desk HQ says El-Sayed is likely to win the Senate race.