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Prominent Democrats and left-wing voices nationwide exploded with fury after Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the final stretch of that state’s U.S. Senate race in Michigan over the weekend.
In her video posted to social media on Sunday after attending church service with Rogers, Stevens noted how El-Sayed told her to “stay away” from his campaign and slammed him for embracing radical steamer Hasan Piker — who was among those criticizing the endorsement stunt.
“Working class people’s lives are on the ballot on Tuesday—their healthcare, their rent, their bills,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in an X post. “Haley Stevens just betrayed them by endorsing the very Republican she said she wanted to run against.”
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said on X shortly after the endorsement: “Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.”
Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., speaks with media after a debate at WoodTV studios on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/Kristen Norman)
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Stevens, who will leave Congress in January, lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed earlier this year. She was widely viewed as the moderate, establishment candidate compared to the more progressive, left-wing policies of her opponent.
On Sunday, Stevens abandoned the party in the final hours of the Senate campaign as Democrats seek to win back control of the upper chamber.
“This is a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on X. “Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed, because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors.”
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“Haley Stevens made a terrible decision, blindsided everyone and isolated herself from the House Democratic caucus,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “We will have a discussion about appropriate next steps upon our return.”
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., called Stevens “clearly disturbed,” and said she “has thrown her constituents under the bus” on several key midterm issues.
Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan Abdul El-Sayed takes questions from reporters after a campaign rally on Oct. 24, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Paul Steinhauser/ Digital)
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“Too many people live off their 15 minutes of fame,” Pocan continued. “In this case, she threw away an entire career because she couldn’t get over a loss and needed attention. Pathetic. Sad. Clearly she has some serious issues. But no one will take her seriously ever again.”
Outside of her own colleagues condemning her endorsement, Stevens also saw an immediate staff exodus after she posted the video.
After the endorsement, a visibly upset El-Sayed demanded the media focus their questions on political issues, rather than Stevens’ stunt.
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“I’m going to ask that when we take questions, you keep your questions focused on the issues that Michiganders really care about. Now that might not drive clicks for you. I get it. I understand your business, right? But they’re the issues that Michiganders are paying attention to,” he said.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican from Michigan and US Senate candidate, during the second day of the Republican Midterm Convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Stevens drew an official condemnation from the Democratic Party at a national level, too.
“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,” Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman Ken Martin said in a statement on behalf of the organization.
“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. We will not allow last-minute political stunts to derail our momentum and we will triple down on our efforts to elect Abdul El-Sayed on Tuesday.”
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), chaired by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., lashed out at Stevens’ decision, too.
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“The stakes of this election could not be higher: Mike Rogers is a rubber stamp for Donald Trump, and together they plan to continue sowing chaos and making life unaffordable for families while prioritizing their billionaire donors at the expense of Michigan families,” the DSCC statement said, adding the group will “reject any efforts to divide Democrats ahead of Tuesday’s crucial election.”
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Piker, who was at the center of some of the reason Stevens’ broke from El-Sayed, simply wrote: “i [sic] condemn haley stevens.”
Piker has caused major controversy in the Michigan race due to his proximity to El-Sayed. Since his primary win, the progressive candidate has sought to distance himself from the streamer.
“This is the single most unproductive, selfish thing a Democratic candidate has done all cycle and likely many cycles before that,” Pod Save America co-host and speechwriter to President Barack Obama said on X. “Having misjudged candidates in the past myself, I hope everyone who tried to recruit, support, and defend Haley can now admit what a mistake it was.”
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Fellow PodSaveAmerica cohost Jon Lovett called Stevens a “sleaze.”
“Not to downplay Haley Stevens’ vermin-like betrayal of her party and her constituents and her nation… But given her track record as a clownish loser, do we really believe any who will now follow her weren’t already going to vote for the Fascist?” podcaster and former television sports personality Keith Olbermann said in an X post.
Former President Barack Obama, center, joined by Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed, left, and Democratic gubernatorial nominee and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson raise hands during a campaign event at Cass Technical High School on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Stevens, who was narrowly defeated by El-Sayed in Michigan’s Aug. 4, 2026 primary election, crossed partisan lines after saying for months that she would support El-Sayed.
It all devolved after Stevens expressed concern last week over an ad aired in El-Sayed’s favor that was widely viewed as antisemitic. She said she would appear at a weekend campaign event with El-Sayed on the condition that he denounced the ad. El-Sayed, whose support among the Michigan Jewish community is already tenuous, disinvited her from the event instead.
The ad that sparked the controversy was released by the Rebellion PAC, which is operated by The Young Turks co-founder and bombastic leftist commentator Cenk Uygur, who is Piker’s uncle. Piker, whom El-Sayed invited onto the campaign trail in Michigan during primary season, has been a headache for El-Sayed during the general election.
Piker said in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11.” He has also praised Mao Zedong and Communist China, said capitalists should be murdered in the streets and is known for making antisemitic comments.
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El-Sayed has refused to denounce Piker, brushing him off as a “streamer from California” who he says shouldn’t be the focus of the campaign in Michigan.
