Haley Stevens endorsement of Republican has been a financial windfall for Democrat Abdul El-Sayed

The campaign for Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed reported raising more than $2.4 million Sunday after his former primary rival announced a bombshell endorsement of the Republican nominee.Rep. Haley Stevens’s last-minute endorsement of Mike Rogers, two days before Election Day, triggered a mass exodus of her office staff, widespread condemnation from Democratic officials — and a massive outpouring of support for El-Sayed.El-Sayed’s campaign reported more than 65,000 individual donations on Sunday, nearly half of which came from first-time donors, according to campaign spokesperson Cole Wozniak. The average donation was roughly $37, contributing to a single-day fundraising haul, according to the campaign.“This record-breaking grassroots fundraising haul is a testament to the excitement that Abdul’s movement has inspired in the hearts of Michiganders — and a rejection of the status quo politics that’s left Michigan behind for far too long,” Wozniak said Monday.Among the seven battleground states that are likely to determine whether Democrats win control of the Senate, the widest gap is in Michigan, where El-Sayed is polling ahead of Rogers by more than 10 points — 53 to 42 percent, according to the latest New York Times/Siena poll.Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed saw record-breaking single-day fundraising haul the day his former primary challenger Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race (Reuters)Following her defeat in the state’s Democratic primary election in August, the congresswoman initially endorsed her former opponent, telling CNN as recently as three days ago that she plans to vote for the entire Democratic ticket.But that all evaporated on Sunday, when she appeared alongside Rogers in Detroit.The head of the state’s Democratic Party said Stevens had “abandoned everything she claims to care about.”“Mike Rogers is Donald Trump’s hand-picked candidate for Senate, a rubber stamp for Trump’s toxic agenda, and a corrupt politician looking out only for himself,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said in a statement.Stevens has faced widespread condemnation from Democratic officials for backing Rogers, who is endorsed by Donald Trump (AP)Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is poised to lead the upper chamber if Democrats win control of the Senate, called the endorsement a“despicable betrayal.”Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the congresswoman had “chosen to dangerously betray Michigan families’ healthcare, freedoms and future with her horrific endorsement.”Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called it “a sideshow.”“I think what really matters is the people of Michigan don’t get caught up in what is a distraction,” she told The View on Monday.The fallout started as the primary race began over El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza, underscoring a wider fracture among Democrats over U.S. support for Israel, an issue that is likely to dominate Congress under a Democratic majority.Last week, Stevens’s fiance Jason Turkish endorsed Rogers for Senate over El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel. Stevens also demanded that El-Sayed denounce an ad widely criticized as antisemitic from a group that is not affiliated with his campaign.“I have no idea what the hell Haley Stevens is doing. This is a moment where we have to recognize the stakes,” Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who also lost the Senate’s Democratic primary against the two other candidates, told CNN on Friday. “People are not talking about ads. They are not talking about Haley Stevens. They are talking about the price of gas and groceries.”In response to the ad, which El-Sayed’s campaign had nothing to do with, the candidate said that his campaign “has always been focused on addressing the most critical challenges Michiganders are facing.”“So while Congresswoman Stevens seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago, let’s all focus on the task at hand: that’s beating Mike Rogers,” he added.Two days later, Stevens tossed her support behind Rogers.The head of Michigan Democrats said Stevens has ‘abandoned everything she claims to care about’ (Getty)In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Sunday night, Stevens struggled to explain what changed between her conversations with Democrats the night before and her public support for El-Sayed that same weekend.“Do you believe that Abdul El-Sayed is hateful or an antisemite?” Cooper asked.“I think some of the actions have certainly been antisemitic,” Stevens said as she struggled with her responses.Stevens insisted her support was based on El-Sayed’s “lack of kindness” and invoked his past association with leftist streamer commentator Hasan Piker, who has emerged as a bogeyman among pro-Israel hawks.“Do you want Democrats to win control of the Senate?” Cooper asked.“I absolutely do,” she said.Stevens insisted that she was “just one person” casting a vote, leading Cooper to point out that she was making her views known in a very public manner and that her own chief of staff had announced his resignation in response to her behavior, along with around half of her staff.“That was one of the most painful interviews I have ever watched,” top Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell said on CNN moments later. “I have been worried about her all last week.”Trump, meanwhile, is relishing Stevens’s endorsement for his preferred candidate.“Her following is huge, and the level of respect from the People of Michigan, especially our African American and Jewish populations, is virtually unparalleled,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday night.“Haley said what few people are willing to say,” he wrote. “She showed great and almost unprecedented loyalty to the Great People of Michigan with what she did. It’s a thing called bravery, and few people have it like just displayed by Congresswoman Haley Stevens!”