Disclosure: Florida Man News Network's editorial board endorsed Abdul El-Sayed for U.S. Senate on Nov. 1. This is a news report, separate from that opinion.
SAID
Rep. Haley Stevens lost Michigan's Democratic U.S. Senate primary on Aug. 4 to Abdul El-Sayed by less than one point, about 14,900 votes out of more than 1.5 million. She had promised throughout the primary to back the nominee, and she did (Bridge Michigan). She had called Republican Mike Rogers a "rubber stamp" for Donald Trump.
As late as Wednesday, Oct. 28, after her fiancé said he would vote for Rogers, Stevens said on CNN, "we're a household divided," and added, "I still very much want our Democratic nominee, his name is Abdul, to win this race" (Sinclair via KATV).
On Saturday night, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told NBC, Stevens assured him she would vote for Democrats (NBC News).
DID
On Sunday morning, Nov. 1, less than 48 hours before Election Day, Stevens appeared with Rogers at Perfecting Church in Detroit and endorsed him. Democrats had expected her at a unity event across town with El-Sayed and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) (NPR).
In a video posted to X, she said: "Abdul said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away. And he's right… that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers." She added, "I do not stand with Hasan Piker," the streamer El-Sayed campaigned with during the primary.
How it got here. On Friday, Oct. 30, Stevens made her appearance at the Sunday event conditional. She demanded that El-Sayed condemn an ad from Rebellion PAC, a group tied to The Young Turks' Cenk Uygur, that blamed high grocery prices on U.S. aid to Israel, and apologize for rhetoric she called inflammatory. El-Sayed's campaign says the ad is "not affiliated in any way" with it. El-Sayed answered that Stevens "seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago" (AP via PBS NewsHour). On Saturday he said, "I do not agree with the contents of that ad." Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said she was the one who pulled Stevens from the Sunday event because "it had become way too distracting."
RESULT
Her staff left. Justin German, her chief of staff since she took office in 2019, released a statement Sunday (The Hill):
"As Haley Stevens' Chief of Staff for eight years, I speak on behalf of our team in wholeheartedly supporting Abdul El-Sayed for Senate … We are shocked and heartbroken by Congresswoman Stevens' decision to support Mike Rogers. As of this morning, many members of our team have resigned, including myself."
Her communications director, Logan Basch, also left; his email auto-reply says that as of Nov. 1 he is no longer with her office. The Detroit Free Press reported that "well over half" of her congressional staff quit Sunday in protest (Detroit Free Press via Yahoo). No outlet has published an exact count; Basch told the Detroit News the office had about 15 employees (Detroit News). CNN reported that some aides had already been job-hunting because her term ends in January.
Her state party cut ties. "Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future," state party chair Curtis Hertel posted on X (Washington Post). Earlier, the party said she had "abandoned everything she claims to care about."
Her party's leaders turned on her.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who backed her in the primary: "This is a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens" (Washington Post).
Sen. Gary Peters, whose seat is open, said he and his wife are "extremely disappointed."
Sen. Elissa Slotkin said anyone who makes an election this important about themselves "should think hard about whether they are serving the greater good."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi said Stevens "has chosen to dangerously betray Michigan families."
Virgie Rollins, chair of the DNC Black Caucus, called her "a sellout who used Black Michiganders for a political stunt" (Axios).
J Street called it "petty political theater from a sore loser" (JTA).
No House censure or caucus discipline has been reported. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who endorsed Stevens in the primary, had not commented as of Sunday afternoon. Stevens gave up her House seat to run for the Senate; her term ends Jan. 3, 2027.
THEIR SIDE
Stevens says this is about one race and about antisemitism. "I'm not turning my back on Democrats… It is this one vote," she said. "We can't stand with hate." She says she remains "a very proud Democrat."
The Rebellion PAC ad drew criticism well beyond Stevens. Brianna Wu, the group's co-founder and former executive director, called it "awful" and said she would have quit rather than produce it (The Forward).
Rogers called her endorsement "courage in politics." President Trump called her "a Highly Respected Democrat" and praised her "bravery." A Republican National Committee spokesman said, "Michigan should take notice."
El-Sayed did not name her Sunday. "At the end of the day I actually don't think about Haley Stevens," he said.
GAP
The pledge. She promised to back the nominee. She endorsed him. Wednesday she said she wanted him to win. Saturday night she told a colleague she was voting Democratic. Sunday morning she endorsed the Republican she once called Trump's rubber stamp.
The disinvitation. Stevens says El-Sayed told her to stay away. Dingell says she made that call herself, for one event. CBS and CNN, citing sources, reported El-Sayed's campaign asked her to skip all remaining events (CBS News).
The money. AIPAC's super PAC, United Democracy Project, spent about $30.6 million in the primary, according to Newsweek's review of federal filings: about $10.5 million supporting Stevens and about $20.1 million opposing El-Sayed. CBS Detroit called it AIPAC's largest single-race investment ever.
The Florida angle. Stevens is now campaigning for a man who moved to Florida after leaving Congress. Read our editorial on the Rogers campaign.
What to watch: whether Whitmer speaks; whether Stevens answers her staff; whether House Democrats act; the first polls since Sunday. Before the endorsement, El-Sayed led 51%–44% (Mitchell/CBS Detroit) and 51.4%–45.1% (Glengariff/WDIV-Detroit News). Early voting began Oct. 24, before this blew up.