Why did Democrat Haley Stevens just endorse a Republican for US Senate?

Stevens’s endorsement of Mike Rogers comes after a bitter dispute with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.

Haley Stevens speaks with reporters alongside Mike Rogers after going to church together in Detroit on Sunday [Rebecca Cook/Reuters]

A Democratic congresswoman has thrown her support behind a Republican in one of the most closely watched races of the US midterm elections, just two days before voters head to the polls.

Haley Stevens, who lost Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary in August, announced on Sunday that she was endorsing Republican Mike Rogers over her own party’s nominee, Abdul El-Sayed.

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list 4 of 4 Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens endorses Republican Senate candidate

The decision follows weeks of tension between the two Democrats over Israel and has provoked a backlash within the party as it fights to win control of Congress and limit President Donald Trump’s power.

Here’s what we know.

Who is Haley Stevens?

Stevens is a Democratic congresswoman from Michigan who narrowly lost the party’s Senate primary to El-Sayed, a former public health official who could become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.

Despite a bitter primary battle, Stevens promised to support El-Sayed and said as recently as Wednesday that she still wanted him to win.

Congresswoman Haley Stevens, left, her fiance Jason Turkish, right, stand with Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, second left, and his wife Kristi Rogers during a church service in Detroit on Sunday [Jose Juarez/AP Photo]

That was despite her fiance, Jason Turkish, a Jewish Democrat and civil rights lawyer, announcing that he would vote for Rogers. Turkish – who, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports, has donated nearly $250,000 to both Democrats and Republicans during this midterm cycle – accused El-Sayed of anti-Semitism, saying his rhetoric about Israel and its war in Gaza had made Jewish voters feel unsafe.

And on Sunday, Stevens changed her position.

Why did Stevens endorse Republican Mike Rogers?

The decision followed weeks of tension over Israel that has become increasingly public in the final days of the campaign.

Stevens is a strong supporter of Israel, while El-Sayed has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza and US military aid to the country.

Their differences were also a major issue during the Democratic primary, when a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spent tens of millions of dollars to back Stevens.

But the latest dispute began last week, when an independent group backing El-Sayed, Rebellion PAC, released an advertisement linking US military aid to Israel to Americans’ struggles with the cost of living.

The advertisement shows a couple shopping for groceries who decide to put back a carton of eggs because they need to save that money for “killing Palestinians”.

Stevens called the advertisement anti-Semitic and demanded that El-Sayed condemn it. She also accused him of making similar arguments as in the ad by suggesting that money spent on Israel could instead go towards schools, healthcare and childcare.

Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic Senate candidate, speaks to the media in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday [Jeff Kowalsky/AFP]

El-Sayed said the advertisement was not produced by his campaign and that he disagreed with its message, adding that Stevens was trying to re-litigate their primary rather than focusing on defeating Rogers.

The tensions came to a head on Sunday, when Stevens and El-Sayed were supposed to attend a church service together in a show of Democratic unity, but Stevens was uninvited.

“Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” she said in a video on X, announcing she was going to endorse Rogers.

“And he’s right. And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today.”

But Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who helped organise the event, said she was the one who asked Stevens not to attend, telling The Associated Press news agency that “it had become way too distracting”.

Stevens, during a CNN appearance on Sunday, was pressed on why she changed course after previously endorsing El-Sayed.

“This is about Abdul getting angrier and angrier”, Stevens said about her former primary opponent, who she claimed had made “some” anti-Semitic actions during his campaign. “I’m trying to help the Democratic Party”.

“That is one of the most painful interviews I have ever watched. I have been worried about her all last week, she’s a human being,” Dingell told CNN immediately after Stevens’ interview. “I’ve had multiple conversations with her. I’m far from being the only one that has” she added.

Stevens also criticised El-Sayed’s association with political streamer Hasan Piker, whose uncle, Cenk Uygur, founded the PAC that released the disputed advertisement.

Stevens told reporters on Sunday, with Rogers standing beside her: “We can’t stand with hate. We can’t stand with Hasan Piker.”

She insisted she was still a Democrat and planned to vote for Democratic candidates in 90 percent of the races on her ballot, but her Senate vote would go to Rogers.

How are Democrats reacting?

Stevens’ decision has drawn an angry response from Democrats, including some of the party’s most senior figures.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer , who had recruited Stevens to run for the open Senate seat in Michigan, called her endorsement a “despicable betrayal”, saying Senate Democrats remained united behind El-Sayed.

He brushed off questions about whether Stevens had betrayed the Democratic Party, saying he was more concerned about the issues facing Michigan voters.

“At the end of the day, I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens,” he told reporters. “I’m just less interested in the politics of it all than I am in the policy of it all.”

He urged voters to focus instead on healthcare, civil rights and the differences between his campaign and that of Rogers, who is backed by Trump.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) issued a blistering statement in response to Stevens’s “last-minute political stunts”.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer leaves a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington [File: J Scott Applewhite/AP Photo]

“Haley Stevens’ disappointing decision to endorse Mike Rogers, a Trump ally who would join Republican efforts to sell out working families, is a betrayal of the values of the Democratic Party,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said.

“At a moment when Democrats are united in fighting for Michigan families and standing up to Trump’s agenda, we reject these efforts to sow division within our party.”

The local arm of the DNC, the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP), also had strong words for Stevens’ endorsement of Rogers.

“Haley Stevens’ decision to campaign with Rogers … shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about,” MDP Chair Curtis Hertel said. “We reject the attempts by Stevens and bad-faith actors to divide our party and undermine our momentum, and will not allow these eleventh-hour distractions deter us.”

Stevens’s decision also prompted resignations within her own team. Her chief of staff for eight years, Justin German, announced that he and several other staff members had stepped down over the endorsement.

“We are shocked and heartbroken by Congresswoman Stevens’s decision to support Mike Rogers,” German said in a statement first shared by CNN.

Stevens, during her CNN interview, would not explicitly say whether members of her Congressional staff had resigned, opting, instead, to say her office is “in a transition” as she prepares to leave Congress in January.

Trump, meanwhile, celebrated her decision.

“Wow, this is BIG!” he wrote in a social media post on Sunday.

During a rally in Iowa later in the day, the president said he would “love” it if Stevens joined the Republican Party.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson, left, and US House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, right, listen as US President Donald Trump speaks to the media in Dubuque, Iowa on Sunday [Brendan Smialowski/AFP]

“Haley said what few people are willing to say,” Trump added. “It’s a thing called bravery.”

Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, who flew with Trump to Iowa, also celebrated Stevens, telling reporters he sent the congresswoman a note after her “courageous” endorsement.

“Haley’s a good person. She’s always been very thoughtful”, Johnson said, describing Michigan’s Senate race as a “contrast” election. “She loves her state. She’s served it as best she could. She’s speaking the truth.”

Could Stevens’s endorsement affect the Michigan Senate race?

El-Sayed and Rogers are competing to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters in a closely contested race that could help determine which party controls the US Senate.

Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress, and Democrats are hoping to win enough seats to challenge Trump’s agenda and increase scrutiny of his administration.

Stevens defeated El-Sayed in Wayne County, which includes Detroit, and neighbouring Oakland County, drawing support from Black and Jewish Democratic voters. Both counties are Democratic strongholds, where turnout could help determine Tuesday’s result.

The question now is whether Stevens’s endorsement could convince some of her supporters to back Rogers, or discourage them from voting altogether.

Polling suggests El-Sayed has largely consolidated Democratic support, according to the Reuters news agency.

Early voting began on October 24, before the latest dispute erupted.

What comes next for Stevens?

Stevens’ bid for the US Senate earlier this year precluded her from running for her US House seat again.

Despite only having two months left in office, Stevens could face punishment from incensed Congressional Democrats when they return to Washington the week after Tuesday’s elections.

What form that punishment takes is not entirely clear, though.

The US House Democratic Caucus rules outline that, in order for a member to “maintain membership”, they “shall not participate in campaign activities for any candidate in a partisan federal election who is not a Member of the Democratic Party”.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

US Congresswoman Haley Stevens speaks during a US Senate debate in Southfield, Michigan [File: Robin Buckson/Pool via Reuters]

A trio of organizations representing Jewish, Muslim and Democratic voters, including IfNotNow, MPower Action and Our Revolution, called on Jeffries to “expel” Stevens from the Democratic caucus and “strip her of her committee assignments”.

“Stevens has betrayed the Democratic Party … in pulling a last-minute stunt in an attempt to sabotage the Democratic nominee for United States Senate”, the groups’ statement read.

While Stevens’ endorsement of Rogers would likely not subject her to typical forms of congressional discipline, like expulsion or censure, Democrats may opt to remove her from the Democratic Caucus. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state, told POLITICO on Sunday she supports taking that action against Stevens.

But if that happens, it could end up benefiting members of Trump’s party.

Republicans currently have a razor-thin majority – 218 to 214 – in the US House. One fewer Democratic vote means Trump and his party would have a (slightly) easier time passing legislation until a new Congress is sworn in next year.

Once Stevens leaves office in January, though, her endorsement will likely cast a long-term shadow if she chooses to remain in politics – or the Democratic Party.

Hertel, in a post on social media on Sunday, wrote that Stevens “is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future”.

史蒂文斯对迈克·罗杰斯的支持，是在他与民主党候选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德发生激烈争执之后做出的。

周日，海莉·史蒂文斯和迈克·罗杰斯在底特律一起做完礼拜后接受了记者的采访。[丽贝卡·库克/路透社]

距离美国中期选举投票日仅剩两天，一位民主党女议员公开支持一位共和党候选人，这场选举是美国中期选举中最受关注的选战之一。

在 8 月份密歇根州民主党参议员初选中落败的黑莉·史蒂文斯 (Haley Stevens) 于周日宣布，她将支持共和党候选人迈克·罗杰斯 (Mike Rogers)，而不是她自己党派的候选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德 (Abdul El-Sayed)。

列表 1/4：哪些中期选举花费最高？谁在为它们提供资金？

密歇根州四场竞选中的第二场：关于阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德对阵迈克·罗杰斯你需要知道的一切

列表 3/4：美国中期选举投票人数超过 5000 万：这意味着什么？

密歇根州民主党众议员海莉·史蒂文斯支持共和党参议院候选人（名单共4条）。

此前，这两位民主党人因以色列问题关系紧张数周，而这一决定也引发了党内的强烈反弹，因为该党正努力赢得国会的控制权，以限制唐纳德·特朗普总统的权力。

以下是我们目前所了解的情况。

海莉·史蒂文斯是谁？

史蒂文斯是密歇根州的一位民主党女议员，她在党内参议院初选中以微弱劣势输给了埃尔-赛义德，后者是一位前公共卫生官员，有可能成为第一位当选美国参议员的穆斯林。

尽管初选竞争激烈，史蒂文斯仍承诺支持埃尔-赛义德，并且就在周三还表示她仍然希望他获胜。

周日，在底特律的一次教堂礼拜中，国会女议员海莉·史蒂文斯（左）和她的未婚夫杰森·土耳其（右）与密歇根州共和党参议员候选人迈克·罗杰斯（左二）和他的妻子克里斯蒂·罗杰斯站在一起。[Jose Juarez/AP Photo]

尽管她的未婚夫杰森·土耳其（Jason Turkish）——一位犹太裔民主党人兼民权律师——宣布他将投票给罗杰斯，但埃尔-赛义德仍然反对她。据联邦选举委员会（FEC）的报告显示，土耳其在本届中期选举周期中已向民主党和共和党捐款近25万美元。土耳其指责埃尔-赛义德反犹，称他关于以色列及其在加沙战争的言论让犹太选民感到不安全。

周日，史蒂文斯改变了立场。

史蒂文斯为何支持共和党候选人迈克·罗杰斯？

在竞选的最后几天，围绕以色列问题的紧张局势日益公开化，此前数周一直持续不断。

史蒂文斯是以色列的坚定支持者，而埃尔-赛义德则一直公开批评以色列在加沙发动的种族灭绝战争以及美国对以色列的军事援助。

在民主党初选期间，他们的分歧也是一个主要问题，当时一个与美国以色列公共事务委员会 (AIPAC) 有关联的超级政治行动委员会花费了数千万美元来支持史蒂文斯。

但最新的争端始于上周，当时支持埃尔-赛义德的独立团体“叛乱政治行动委员会”（Rebellion PAC）发布了一则广告，将美国对以色列的军事援助与美国人面临的生活成本困境联系起来。

广告中，一对夫妇在超市购物时，决定把一盒鸡蛋放回货架，因为他们需要省下这笔钱来“杀害巴勒斯坦人”。

史蒂文斯称这则广告是反犹太主义的，并要求埃尔-赛义德谴责它。她还指责他提出了与广告中类似的论点，即花在以色列的钱本可以用于学校、医疗保健和儿童保育。

密歇根州民主党参议员候选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德周日在密歇根州底特律市接受媒体采访。[杰夫·科瓦尔斯基/法新社]

埃尔-赛义德表示，该广告并非由他的竞选团队制作，他也不同意广告的内容，并补充说，史蒂文斯试图重新提起初选诉讼，而不是专注于击败罗杰斯。

紧张局势在周日达到顶峰，当时史蒂文斯和埃尔-赛义德原本应该一起参加教堂礼拜，以示民主党的团结，但史蒂文斯没有被邀请。

“我们的民主党参议员候选人说，他不再欢迎我参加他的竞选活动，我应该远离他，”她在X电视台发布的一段视频中说道，并宣布她将支持罗杰斯。

“他说得对。正因如此，我今天才公开支持迈克·罗杰斯竞选美国参议员。”

但密歇根州民主党众议员黛比·丁格尔（Debbie Dingell）是此次活动的组织者之一，她表示是她要求史蒂文斯不要出席，并告诉美联社记者，“这太分散注意力了”。

史蒂文斯周日在 CNN 节目中被追问，为什么她在之前支持埃尔-赛义德之后改变了立场。

“这是因为阿卜杜勒越来越愤怒，”史蒂文斯谈到她之前的党内初选对手时说道，她声称阿卜杜勒在竞选期间曾有过“一些”反犹太主义行为。“我只是想帮助民主党。”

“那是我看过最令人心痛的采访之一。上周我一直很担心她，她也是人啊，”丁格尔在史蒂文斯接受采访后立即告诉CNN。“我和她谈过好几次。而且，我绝不是唯一一个和她谈过的人，”她补充道。

史蒂文斯还批评了埃尔-赛义德与政治直播员哈桑·皮克的关系，哈桑·皮克的叔叔岑克·乌伊古尔创立了发布这则有争议广告的政治行动委员会。

史蒂文斯周日告诉记者，罗杰斯站在她旁边：“我们不能与仇恨为伍。我们不能与哈桑·皮克为伍。”

她坚称自己仍然是民主党人，并计划在选票上 90% 的选举中投票给民主党候选人，但她的参议院投票将投给罗杰斯。

民主党人对此有何反应？

史蒂文斯的决定引起了民主党人的强烈不满，其中包括该党的一些资深人士。

曾招募史蒂文斯竞选密歇根州空缺参议员席位的参议院民主党领袖查克·舒默称她的支持是“卑鄙的背叛”，并表示参议院民主党人仍然团结在埃尔-赛义德身后。

他回避了有关史蒂文斯是否背叛了民主党的提问，称他更关心密歇根州选民面临的问题。

“说到底，我其实根本不会去想海莉·史蒂文斯，”他告诉记者。“我对这一切的政治层面更感兴趣，而不是政策层面。”

他敦促选民们将注意力集中在医疗保健、民权以及他与罗杰斯（特朗普支持）的竞选活动之间的区别上。

民主党全国委员会（DNC）发表了一份措辞严厉的声明，回应史蒂文斯的“最后一刻的政治噱头”。

参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默离开位于华盛顿的美国国会大厦新闻发布会。[图片：J Scott Applewhite/AP Photo]

“海莉·史蒂文斯令人失望地决定支持迈克·罗杰斯，这位特朗普的盟友会加入共和党的行列，出卖工薪家庭，这是对民主党价值观的背叛，”民主党全国委员会主席肯·马丁说。

“在民主党人团结一致为密歇根州家庭而战，并挺身对抗特朗普的政策之际，我们反对这些企图在我们党内制造分裂的行径。”

民主党全国委员会的地方分支机构，密歇根州民主党（MDP），也对史蒂文斯支持罗杰斯一事发表了强烈的评论。

“海莉·史蒂文斯决定与罗杰斯一起竞选……这表明她已经放弃了她声称关心的一切，”MDP主席柯蒂斯·赫特尔说。“我们反对史蒂文斯和别有用心之人企图分裂我们党、破坏我们势头的行径，我们绝不会让这些临阵脱逃的伎俩动摇我们的决心。”

史蒂文斯的决定也引发了她团队内部的辞职潮。她的幕僚长贾斯汀·格曼（Justin German）宣布，他和几名其他工作人员因反对这项背书而辞职。格曼曾担任史蒂文斯的幕僚长长达八年。

“我们对史蒂文斯议员支持迈克·罗杰斯的决定感到震惊和心碎，”格尔曼在一份声明中说，该声明首先由 CNN 分享。

史蒂文斯在接受 CNN 采访时，没有明确表示她的国会工作人员是否已经辞职，而是选择表示，由于她准备在 1 月份离开国会，她的办公室正处于“过渡期”。

与此同时，特朗普对她的决定表示赞赏。

“哇，这可是件大事！”他周日在社交媒体上发帖写道。

当天晚些时候，总统在爱荷华州的一次集会上表示，如果史蒂文斯加入共和党，他将“非常高兴”。

周日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在爱荷华州迪比克市向媒体发表讲话时，美国众议院议长迈克·约翰逊（左）和美国众议院多数党领袖史蒂夫·斯卡利斯（右）正在聆听。[Brendan Smialowski/AFP]

特朗普补充说：“黑莉说出了很少有人愿意说的话。这叫做勇敢。”

与特朗普一同飞往爱荷华州的共和党众议院议长迈克·约翰逊也对史蒂文斯表示祝贺，他告诉记者，在史蒂文斯做出“勇敢的”支持后，他给她发了一封信。

约翰逊说：“海莉是个好人，她一直都很体贴周到。”他将密歇根州的参议员竞选描述为一场“对比鲜明”的选举。“她热爱她的州，她尽其所能地为州服务，她说的都是实话。”

史蒂文斯的支持会影响密歇根州参议员竞选吗？

埃尔-赛义德和罗杰斯正在角逐接替即将退休的民主党参议员加里·彼得斯的席位，这是一场竞争激烈的选举，其结果可能有助于决定哪个党派控制美国参议院。

目前共和党控制着国会两院，民主党希望赢得足够的席位来挑战特朗普的议程，并加强对其政府的审查。

史蒂文斯在包括底特律在内的韦恩县以及邻近的奥克兰县击败了埃尔-赛义德，赢得了黑人和犹太裔民主党选民的支持。这两个县都是民主党的传统票仓，投票率可能对周二的选举结果起到决定性作用。

现在的问题是，史蒂文斯的支持能否说服她的一些支持者转而支持罗杰斯，还是会让他们完全放弃投票。

路透社报道称，民调显示埃尔-赛义德已基本巩固了民主党的支持。

提前投票于10月24日开始，早于最近这次争议爆发之前。

史蒂文斯接下来会做什么？

今年早些时候，史蒂文斯竞选美国参议员，这使她无法再次竞选美国众议院议员席位。

尽管史蒂文斯的任期只剩下两个月，但周二选举后的一周，国会民主党人返回华盛顿时，他可能会面临愤怒的国会民主党人的惩罚。

不过，这种惩罚具体采取何种形式，目前尚不完全清楚。

美国众议院民主党党团规则规定，为了“保持党员资格”，成员“不得参加任何非民主党成员的联邦党派选举候选人的竞选活动”。

众议院少数党领袖哈基姆·杰弗里斯的办公室尚未对此事作出回应。

美国国会女议员海莉·史蒂文斯在密歇根州南菲尔德举行的美国参议院辩论中发表讲话。[图片：Robin Buckson/Pool via Reuters]

代表犹太裔、穆斯林和民主党选民的三个组织，包括 IfNotNow、MPower Action 和 Our Revolution，呼吁杰弗里斯将史蒂文斯“驱逐”出民主党党团，并“剥夺她的委员会职务”。

“史蒂文斯背叛了民主党……在最后一刻耍花招，企图破坏民主党提名的美国参议员候选人”，这些团体在一份声明中写道。

虽然史蒂文斯对罗杰斯的支持可能不会使她受到国会通常采取的纪律处分，例如开除或谴责，但民主党人可能会选择将她逐出民主党党团。来自华盛顿州的民主党众议员普拉米拉·贾亚帕尔周日告诉POLITICO，她支持对史蒂文斯采取这一行动。

但如果这种情况发生，最终可能会使特朗普所在政党的成员受益。

目前，共和党在美国众议院仅以218比214的微弱优势领先。如果民主党少获得一票，那么在明年新一届国会就职之前，特朗普及其政党在立法方面将会（略微）更容易一些。

不过，一旦史蒂文斯在一月份卸任，如果她选择继续留在政坛——或者继续留在民主党——那么她的支持可能会产生长期的影响。

赫特尔周日在社交媒体上发帖称，史蒂文斯“目前不是密歇根州民主党的成员，将来也不会是”。