Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens backs Republican Mike Rogers in Senate race

U.S. Representative Haley Stevens, a Democrat from Michigan, has publicly endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers ahead of the tightly contested mid‑term election.

Stevens appeared with Rogers at a church on Sunday and posted a video to X stating she could not remain in Abdul El‑Sayed’s campaign, describing the Democratic nominee’s message as “hate”. She said, “That’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers.”

El‑Sayed, who defeated Stevens for the Democratic Senate nomination, told reporters he was focused on “the problems Michiganders are facing” and said the endorsement “doesn’t matter”. The two had been scheduled to share a different event, but El‑Sayed asked Stevens not to attend after a dispute over a liberal group’s advert linking Israel to food prices.

The endorsement has drawn criticism from Democrats, with party chair Curtis Hertel saying Stevens “has abandoned everything she claims to care about”. Some Republican supporters doubt the impact, while President Donald Trump praised Stevens on Truth Social.

The race is viewed as one of the closest Senate contests, with the seat currently held by a retiring Democrat and the last Republican win in 1994. Michigan’s status as a swing state—voting for Joe Biden in 2020 and Donald Trump in 2024—adds to its significance.

Source: BBC News. Photo: Brett Sayles / Pexels.