The key facts

  • Haley Stevens, who lost the Michigan Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers two days before the midterm elections
  • The dispute arose over an ad linking rising prices to military aid to Israel; El-Sayed said his campaign was not involved in it
  • Trump publicly praised Stevens; according to Anadolu, her congressional staff resigned in full

A break with the party on the eve of the election

On November 1, two days before the midterm elections, Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens announced her endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers in the U.S. Senate race in Michigan. She appeared alongside Rogers at a church in Detroit and then posted a video announcement. “Our Democratic Senate candidate Abdul said that I am no longer welcome in his campaign and should stay away. And he is right, which is why today I am endorsing Mike Rogers,” Stevens said, adding that she remains “a very proud Democrat,” but does not believe El-Sayed's campaign reflects the values that, in her view, Michigan should stand for. This was reported by Anadolu and The National.

The trigger: an ad and mutual accusations

Stevens and El-Sayed had planned to appear together that same day at another Detroit church, but before the event she demanded that he condemn a recent ad blaming rising prices in the United States on American military support for Israel. Jewish American organizations called the video antisemitic and offensive. El-Sayed responded that the ad was created by a third party and that his campaign had no part in its production or content, and in response to the demand he accused Stevens of trying to “relitigate” the primary and said she was no longer welcome in his campaign.

Campaign context

El-Sayed, an Egyptian-American physician, defeated Stevens in the Democratic primary in August. He is considered a progressive candidate backed by Bernie Sanders, has been a harsh critic of Israel, has called the war in Gaza a genocide, and advocates ending American military aid; if he won, he would become the first Muslim in Congress. Stevens, by contrast, is described by sources as a representative of the party establishment and a staunch supporter of Israel. In recent weeks, according to The National, El-Sayed has been subjected to intense Islamophobic attacks and mockery of his name; Trump and Rogers accused him of ties to the “Muslim Brotherhood” and other armed groups in the Middle East — accusations he has repeatedly rejected. According to published assessments, the outcome of the Michigan race could influence which party controls the Senate for the remaining two years of Trump's term.

Trump's reaction and staff resignations

Donald Trump, who backs Rogers, welcomed Stevens's move on Truth Social: “Her audience is huge, and her level of respect among the people of Michigan, especially our African American and Jewish communities, is virtually unprecedented,” he wrote, adding that she has “shown tremendous and almost unprecedented loyalty to the people of Michigan.” According to Anadolu, after the announcement of her endorsement of Rogers, Stevens's congressional staff resigned in full.