'Despicable betrayal': Haley Stevens endorses Republican candidate over party nominee Abdul El-Sayed

The move has stunned Democrats, with a number of party leaders speaking out against the Aipac-endorsed congresswoman Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat and the rival Abdul El-Sayed defeated in the Senate primary, speaks next to Republican US Senate candidate Mike Rogers at the Perfecting Church in Detroit, Michigan on 1 November (Reuters) Published date: 2 November 2026 11:33 GMT | Last update: 10 sec ago US Democrat Haley Stevens has said she is endorsing Republican candidate Mike Rogers, over her own party's nominee Abdul El-Sayed, days before the Michigan Senate contest. Aipac-backed Stevens, who lost the Michigan Senate primary to progressive El-Sayed, endorsed his Republican rival in a video posted on X on Sunday, just days before the midterm elections. The race is considered by analysts to be one of the most important Senate contests of the cycle. El-Sayed is an outspoken critic of Israel's genocide in Gaza, whereas Rogers is a hardline Republican ally of US President Donald Trump. The move prompted a fierce backlash among Democrats, with Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, condemning it as a "despicable betrayal". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters El-Sayed himself refused to be drawn into the backlash, saying "none of this matters". “I don’t want any distractions,” he said, according to the New York Times. "Folks are more interested in making this race about things that it’s not about.” In the video, which she posted shortly after a surprise appearance alongside Rogers at a church in Detroit, Stevens said that she doesn't "belong in Abdul's campaign". "Who we are as Michiganders is not hate and is not what we are getting out from our Democratic nominee right now," she added. Aipac and the Michigan Senate race: How the Israel lobby became toxic Mitchell Plitnick Read More » The endorsement is the latest in an escalating public feud between the two former primary rivals, which has centred on support for Israel. "This is a very close election, we all know that, but Abdul made clear that I was not welcome in his campaign, that he didn't need me there, that he didn't want me there," Stevens told reporters as she stood alongside Rogers outside the church. Michigan’s Democratic Party chair, Curtis Hertel, said: “Haley Stevens’ decision to campaign with Rogers - a man who has repeatedly sold out Michigan’s working class, wants to pass a national abortion ban, and has pledged to be a loyal vote for Trump’s agenda - shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about. "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.” Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.