Democrat Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers

Michigan Democratic Party expels Stevens

Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel announced on Sunday that Representative Haley Stevens is no longer a member of the party following her endorsement of Mike Rogers.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described the endorsement as "a despicable betrayal". Schumer also maintained his support for El-Sayed and accused Republicans of "racist, Islamophobic, and over-the-top false attacks".

Elissa Slotkin criticized Stevens on X, stating that anyone who makes an election about themselves rather than the greater good should reflect on their service. Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, stated that "A vote for any Republican in 2026 is a vote for Donald Trump".

Escalating feud with Abdul El-Sayed

Representative Haley Stevens and Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed were rivals in the August 2026 Michigan Senate primary, which El-Sayed won. The endorsement followed a public feud between Stevens and El-Sayed regarding criticisms of Israel made by El-Sayed and his allies.

The dispute involved a request from the campaign of El-Sayed for Stevens to stop attending their campaign events. And he’s right.".

The disagreement involved an outside advertisement that Stevens characterized as "antisemit".

Stevens also criticized El-Sayed for his association with left-wing pundit Hasan Piker, who has been accused of antisemitism. She stated, "I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign" and "I do not stand with Hasan Piker, who gets trafficked on our college campuses.".

Resignations and personal fallout

These staff members resigned from her office in protest.

Stevens is considering converting to Judaism, and her fiancé, Jason Turkish, stated he would vote for Rogers.

External reactions from Trump and Piker

Donald Trump praised the endorsement on Truth Social, claiming Stevens' influence among African American and Jewish populations in Michigan is "virtually unparalleled.".

Pundit Hasan Piker described Stevens on social media as “a self interested striver who’s weirdly obsessed with Israel and has been paid handsomely for this strange obsession.”.

El-Sayed has distanced himself from Piker multiple times since they campaigned together in the primary.

Targeting the Jewish vote in Michigan

Jewish voters account for 1.4% of the total electorate in Michigan. The Republican Jewish Coalition spent $2 million targeting approximately 50,000 Jewish voters in Oakland County.

AIPAC’s United Democracy Project sent mailers to 130,000 Jewish voters and sponsored get-out-the-vote phone calls. Nonnegotiable Michigan, a coalition of rabbis and Jewish Democrats, held an online forum on Sunday afternoon to discuss supporting Republicans or leaving ballots blank.

The group scheduled this forum after Abdul El-Sayed failed to respond to repeated requests for engagement.

Implications for the Michigan Senate race

This race could determine which political party gains control of the Senate. A YouGov poll of likely voters in Michigan indicates that El-Sayed leads the Senate race by 4 points.

Stevens’ endorsement of Rogers disrupts Democratic attempts to present a united front for the candidacy of Abdul El-Sayed. Stevens had stated she intended to vote for El-Sayed just a few days before announcing her support for Rogers.

Representative Haley Stevens previously held a campaign rally on August 2, 2026, in Madison Heights, Michigan.

End of Stevens' congressional term

Her current congressional term ends in December.