Haley Stevens Endorses Mike Rogers; Trump Praises Her Bravery

Pro-Israel Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan's open US Senate seat on Sunday. In doing so she rejected her own party's nominee, Abdul El-Sayed. She cited antisemitism and his campaign appearances with streamer Hasan Piker. The break came two days before Election Day. Rogers and El-Sayed are competing to replace Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is retiring.

President Donald Trump has endorsed Rogers. He welcomed Stevens' decision on Truth Social, calling her "a Highly Respected Democrat" whose support among Michigan voters, "especially our African American and Jewish populations, is virtually unparalleled."

"It's a thing called bravery, and few people have it like just displayed by Congresswoman Haley Stevens."

Trump also stated that Stevens is "in danger" and called her "very brave." He described El-Sayed as "a jihadist" and "a Muslim Brotherhood guy."

Stevens appeared with Rogers at Perfecting Church in Detroit. She then announced the endorsement in a video on X that she recorded in her car. "Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away," she said. "And he's right." She went on: "I don't belong in Abdul's campaign. I do not stand with Hasan Piker, who gets trafficked on our college campuses."

Later, at a short press conference beside Rogers, she repeated the message: "We can't stand with hate. We can't stand with Hasan Piker." Stevens said she is still "a very proud Democrat."

The split followed a TV ad that blamed US aid to Israel for high grocery prices. The two outlets that reported the lead-up describe it differently. i24NEWS reported that the ad came from Rebellion PAC, an independent committee founded by Cenk Uygur. It said El-Sayed criticized the ad and stated that his team had nothing to do with it. JTA reported that on Friday Stevens publicly asked El-Sayed to reject the ad before she would appear with his campaign. In that account, El-Sayed refused and pointed instead to the money AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, spent supporting her in the primary.

El-Sayed's team then asked Stevens to stop campaigning with it. She had been due to join him at a Detroit church event on Sunday.

"Abdul promises to get money out of politics," Stevens said on Friday. "He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford."

The controversial campaign ad (El-Sayed campaign)

Standing next to Stevens, Rogers referred to the ad. "Blaming a certain group of people for your problems, that sounds like 1933," he said. "Jewish Democrats are calling me, afraid for their children to stay in the state of Michigan." Last week, Stevens' fiancé, Jewish civil rights attorney Jason Turkish, said he would vote for Rogers.

Democrats criticized the endorsement:

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it "a despicable betrayal."
J Street accused Stevens of "weaponizing real fears about rising antisemitism."
Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, wrote that "a vote for any Republican in 2026 is a vote for Donald Trump."

Members of Stevens' own staff also left. Her chief of staff, Justin German, resigned, and The Washington Post reported that more departures were expected. Arik Wolk, her former campaign spokesperson, called the endorsement "ridiculous and pathetic."

El-Sayed brushed off the move. "At the end of the day I actually don't think about Haley Stevens," he said. He argued that people who want to stand up to hate would not back "Mike Rogers and Donald Trump and JD Vance." If he wins, he would be the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.

The Muslim Brotherhood charge has come up before in this race. In their final debate before the November 3 election, Rogers pressed El-Sayed about a 2012 letter he signed to Egypt's then-president, Mohamed Morsi. El-Sayed denied any ties to the group.