Democrat Haley Stevens Endorses Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate Race, Two Days Before the Election

A Democratic congresswoman endorsed a Republican for the United States Senate on Sunday, two days before an election that could determine which party controls the chamber. Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan, who lost her party's Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, announced her support for the Republican nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers, after attending a Detroit church service with him, the Associated Press reported.

"I don't belong in Abdul's campaign," Stevens said in a video posted on social media, according to USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. She said El-Sayed's campaign had told her she was no longer welcome and should stay away — and, in her words, "he's right." Rogers, standing beside her, said he was "honored" by her support.

The fallout inside her own party was immediate. Stevens's chief of staff said he and several other staffers were resigning over the endorsement, the Journal reported, and top Democrats condemned the move: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it "a despicable portrayal," and retiring Sen. Gary Peters — whose seat El-Sayed and Rogers are contesting — said he was "extremely disappointed." El-Sayed himself brushed the endorsement aside, saying he was focused on the cost of living and adding, "I actually don't think about Haley Stevens."

Michigan is one of the handful of battleground Senate races both parties are fighting over, with Republicans defending a 53-47 majority. El-Sayed defeated Stevens by a slim margin in the August primary, and tensions between the two Democrats have festered since. For Chicago voters watching the national map ahead of Tuesday, the Stevens endorsement is a reminder that the Senate majority may turn on a single state — and on fractures inside the parties themselves.