On Sunday, November 1, 2026, Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens walked into a Detroit church and endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate. This move came just two days before Election Day and shocked many in her own party. She sat next to Rogers and his wife during the service at Perfecting Church before posting a video to social media. According to reports, the morning represented a split-screen moment for the state.
Stevens explained her choice in a statement released to the public. “Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” Stevens said, according to Breitbart. She added, “And he’s right. And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers.” The Democratic nominee she rejected is Abdul El-Sayed, who beat her in the primary earlier this year.
I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today. https://t.co/pQgfSBuhOJ
— Haley Stevens (@HaleyforMI) November 1, 2026
Party leaders did not take this lightly. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X that this was “a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens.” Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker, also shared on X that Stevens “has chosen to dangerously betray Michigan families’ healthcare, freedoms, and future.” The Michigan Democratic Party chair, Curtis Hertel, announced that Stevens is no longer a member of the party, according to Breitbart. He stated she “abandoned everything she claims to care about.”
This is a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens.
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.
— Chuck Schumer (@chuckschumer) November 1, 2026
Even fellow Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin weighed in on the drama. Stevens argued voters prioritize the cost of living over “daily political drama,” even as Slotkin noted “there is simply too much at stake.” Stevens’ own chief of staff of eight years resigned immediately after the endorsement, according to Townhall. More staff members are expected to follow suit in the coming days.
Any day of the week, Michiganders care more about the price of gas or groceries than the daily political drama or the last-minute moves by politicians for the TV cameras.
I was knocking doors in Sterling Heights yesterday and to a house, those folks were hyper-focused on how expensive everything in their life seems to be, and they’re desperately worried — often in tears — about the future for their kids.
And it is for that reason that I have avoided commenting on the actions of Congresswoman Haley Stevens until now.
But there is simply too much at stake. We have to be focused on the mission at hand. That mission is to put a check on President Trump in the U.S. House and Senate, and do the hard work of saving the middle class.
So anyone who makes an election this important about themselves, and not Michiganders and our democracy, should think hard about whether they are serving the greater good.
People outside of Michigan sometimes have a hard time understanding our politics. And in moments like these, I get it.
But here’s the simple truth: The election on Tuesday is bigger than any one person. It’s about who we are as a country and the values that most represent us.
Michigan elects fighters, and we will elect @AbdulElSayed on November 3.
— Elissa Slotkin (@ElissaSlotkin) November 1, 2026
President Donald Trump praised Stevens for her decision during a rally in Iowa. He told the crowd she was “very brave” for saying “what few people are willing to say.” Trump also called El-Sayed a “jihadist” and joked about needing a special metal detector for the candidate. “I’d love her to join the Republican Party, actually,” the President said. He called Stevens a “Highly Respected Democrat” on Truth Social earlier that day.
Stevens defended her choice on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” later that day. She told the host that the decision felt like “a weight off my shoulders.” She claimed El-Sayed had been getting “angrier and angrier” and that she could not support a campaign that told her to stay away. She insisted she remains a “very proud Democrat” who loves Michigan.
The backlash helped El-Sayed’s campaign raise a massive amount of money. His team reported raising more than $2.4 million in a single day. This total came from over 65,000 donors, with an average gift of $36.74. Nearly 29,600 people gave money to the campaign for the first time. Cole Wozniak, serving as a campaign spokesperson, declared, “As Michiganders head to the polls, the momentum behind Abdul’s campaign has never been stronger.”
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump invites Rep. Haley Stevens (D) into the REPUBLICAN PARTY and says Abdul El Sayed winning would mean he needs a metal detector to enter the US Senate
HE’S RIGHT. Abdul is a danger to our national security!
“We’ll have 100 senators…we’ll need a special metal detector for Abdul.”
“I’d love her to join the Republican Party.”
She did the RIGHT thing in endorsing Mike Rogers
Because we know Rogers isn’t going to be a jihadist asset! 🇺🇸
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 1, 2026
El-Sayed informed reporters that his focus remains on voters rather than on Stevens or Rogers. He has tried to distance himself from streamer Hasan Piker amid scrutiny over Piker’s comments. The election remains the key test for both candidates in the final stretch. Voters in Michigan will decide the outcome on Tuesday.
