Democrats wanted Sunday in Michigan to be a show of unity. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) hosted a Michigan Democrat event built around a "Democrats unite" message, where Stevens could have shared a stage with Abdul El-Sayed, the Democrat nominee who beat her in the primary. She had never appeared alongside him, despite reported efforts by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) to bring the two camps together. Instead of unity, they got a defection and a public meltdown mere days before the election. And you better believe Democrats have reason to panic.
On Sunday, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the state's Senate race and went to church with him.
The rift had been building all week. Stevens asked El-Sayed to condemn a blatantly antisemitic ad from Rebellion PAC, an outside group started by Cenk Uygur, in support of his campaign. The spot features a couple complaining about the price of bananas and eggs and pins the blame on Jews and America’s support for Israel. Stevens also wanted him to reject some of his own past remarks she considered cut from the same cloth, and she put out a press release saying El-Sayed would denounce the ad.
He didn't.
El-Sayed offered no real denunciation and told Stevens to stay away from him on the campaign trail. On Saturday, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) blasted El-Sayed's treatment of Stevens and accused him of "little man syndrome."
On Sunday, Stevens spoke to her supporters in a video message posted to X.
"Hey, Michigan. As you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul [El-Sayed], said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away," Stevens said. "And he's right. And that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today."
The fallout came fast. Her chief of staff, her communications director, and many other members of her team quit. Justin German, who ran her office for eight years, confirmed the exodus in a statement. "As Haley Stevens's chief of staff for eight years, I speak on behalf of our team in wholeheartedly supporting Abdul El-Sayed for Senate," German said. "This election is too important to sow divisions or stand on the sidelines. We are shocked and heartbroken by Congresswoman Stevens's decision to support Mike Rogers."
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) branded the endorsement a "despicable betrayal" and claimed to speak for his entire caucus. "Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed, because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors," Schumer said. He also dismissed Republican attacks on El-Sayed as "racist, Islamophobic, and over-the-top false."
So objecting to an antisemitic ad makes you a traitor, while criticizing the candidate who won't condemn it makes you a bigot. Got it.
Make no mistake about it, Stevens' career in the Democrat Party is likely over as a result of this endorsement. But she put principle, Michigan, and the country first, and that takes courage. This shows Democrats care only about winning. They looked past the red flags with former Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner, and they're doing the same thing now with El-Sayed.
The mass freak-out over Stevens clearly reflects panic in the party. Democrats were already in a bad spot when Michigan voters nominated El-Sayed. Party unity was key to getting across the finish line. And it’s clear the party is definitely not united, and the seat that would have been easy for Stevens to win had she been nominated is extremely competitive. El-Sayed even had to bring in Barack Obama to campaign for him, a sign he hadn't sealed the deal with black voters. He was already struggling to win over Jewish voters, and this story, at the very least, will keep his blatant antisemitism a top story through Election Day.
That’s why Democrats and left-wing influencers are trashing Stevens today. In their eyes, she’s a traitor, and if El-Sayed loses on Tuesday, she’ll get a significant portion of the blame. And that’s the saddest part. Rather than acknowledge that El-Sayed’s radicalism and antisemitism cost them the race, they’ll blame the woman who had the guts to do the right thing.
