Stevens on fiance voting for Rogers: ‘We’re a household divided’

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) said Wednesday she is still supporting Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after her fiance announced he would back the GOP candidate, former Rep. Mike Rogers (Mich.), in the contest.

“Like a lot of households in America, we’re a household divided,” she told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “I still very much want our Democratic nominee, his name is Abdul, to win this race.”

Stevens publicly backed El-Sayed in the race after he narrowly defeated her in Michigan’s August Democratic primary.

This week, her former campaign chair David Kramer and her fiance, Jason Turkish, said they would not support the Democrat over comments they deemed as antisemitic. Both men said they would vote for Rogers instead.

In a Wednesday interview with The Detroit News , Turkish said he has witnessed an “escalation” in El-Sayed’s rhetoric since his primary win.

“We have never seen a candidate for U.S. Senate act so recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community as we have seen from Abdul,” the Jewish Democratic donor said.

Turkish also told the outlet he planned to attend the Republican Jewish Coalition’s Wednesday evening event in Birmingham, Mich., titled “Who Will Keep Us Safe? Rogers vs. El-Sayed.” The panel featured the Republican candidate and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R).

El-Sayed has faced criticism for a political ad supporting his campaign that appeared to blame Israel and Jews for rising costs of living. The Democratic candidate said the ad was not affiliated with his campaign.

Still, Rogers accused his Democratic opponent of using language that “invites anti-Semitism — and violence against Jews” in a Wednesday post on the social platform X.

Jewish leaders in Michigan also urged El-Sayed this week to take down a separate ad featuring conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, who has a history of antisemitic rhetoric.

Additionally, the progressive candidate has faced pushback for his repeated criticism of the Israeli government’s military operations in Gaza following Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

While Stevens told CNN she still supports El-Sayed’s bid, she said she’s heard concerns from voters about his rhetoric on the campaign trail.

“I will be honest, there are a lot of voters in Michigan … and they are still undecided and they are hurt and they are confused,” she told Collins. “And this is why I think our nominee is in a very strong position to denounce the hateful ads that have hurt people.”

Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed earlier this year, urged the Democratic candidate, with whom she has not publicly campaigned in months, to “shut out the hate.”

“Let’s get these undecided voters over the finish line,” she continued. “Let’s make sure that Michigan has the representation it needs in the United States Senate.”