In a stunning last-minute shakeup, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) appeared with Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers at a Detroit church service. Shortly afterwards, she made the stunning announcement that she was endorsing Rogers, reversing her earlier endorsement of El-Sayed.
The appearance, which comes just two days before Election Day, comes after Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed — who narrowly defeated Stevens in a tightly-contested primary earlier this year — disinvited Stevens from campaign events amid a bitter falling out.
Stevens joined Rogers at Perfecting Church on Detroit’s east side during a “family and friends day” service. The two sat near each other in the congregation, along with Rogers’ wife, Kristi Rogers, and Stevens’ fiancé, Jason Turkish.
The appearance followed the cancellation of a planned get-out-the-vote event the same day that was to include Stevens, El-Sayed, and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC). That gathering, which was organized with involvement from Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), was intended as a show of party unity.
It did not proceed after tensions over an advertisement produced by Rebellion PAC, an outside group not affiliated with El-Sayed’s campaign, caused divisions.
The ad in question linked U.S. financial support for Israel to higher grocery prices in Michigan. Stevens described the ad as antisemitic and called on El-Sayed to condemn it more strongly and to apologize for his own campaign statements that, in her view, connected Israel to state affordability challenges.
El-Sayed stated that the ad was not produced by his campaign and that he disagreed with its contents. His campaign had asked Stevens to stay away from remaining events to avoid distractions.
Dingell later stated that she advised Stevens not to attend the joint appearance because the dispute had become a distraction and had upset the church’s bishop. She described the situation as a “total distraction” from the issues before voters.
Stevens had previously endorsed El-Sayed shortly after the primary, stating that she was proud to offer her support as he faced Rogers and that the seat should remain Democratic. In late October, however, she described her household as divided.
Turkish announced he would vote for Rogers, citing what he viewed as insufficient responses from El-Sayed to concerns within the Jewish community regarding certain campaign rhetoric and the Rebellion PAC advertisement. Stevens said on CNN that she still wanted the Democratic nominee to win, while noting that some voters remained undecided and concerned about the ads.
During the church service, Stevens addressed economic policy for black-owned businesses. According to footage from the scene, she stated that she supports investing in black-owned businesses and added, “And that’s the policy that Mike’s going to take on.”
The public disagreements between Stevens and El-Sayed intensified in the final days of the campaign. On Friday, Stevens issued a statement saying, “Abdul promises to get money out of politics. He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford.”
She also said a disclaimer from El-Sayed was not the same as a condemnation. Late Saturday, she released a further statement expressing that she was glad El-Sayed had said he did not agree with the content of the Rebellion PAC ad, and she ended with a call to “Go vote!”
El-Sayed responded by accusing Stevens of appearing intent on relitigating the primary and dis-invited her from campaign events.
The dramatic shakeup comes as the Michigan Senate race remains competitive in the final stretch. Recent public polling averages show El-Sayed holding a narrow lead of roughly four to five-and-a-half points over Rogers, with several individual surveys placing the candidates within a few points of each other.
The contest is widely viewed as tight, with outcomes that could affect the balance of the Senate.
RELATED: Dem Senator Snubs Abdul El-Sayed, Backs GOP In High-Stakes Senate Race
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
