Outgoing Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., crossed party lines on Sunday and endorsed Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers, drawing immediate condemnation from the top of her own party just two days before Michigan voters head to the polls.
Stevens made the announcement in a video posted to social media after attending a church service with Rogers in Detroit. In it, she said Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed told her to “stay away” from his campaign, and she criticized him for his ties to left-wing streamer Hasan Piker.
Stevens lost the Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed earlier this year and had been seen as the party’s moderate candidate against El-Sayed’s progressive platform. She is leaving Congress in January.
The reaction from Democratic leadership was swift and brutal. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said Stevens “is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called it “a despicable betrayal,” saying 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.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Stevens “made a terrible decision, blindsided everyone and isolated herself from the House Democratic caucus,” adding that the caucus “will have a discussion about appropriate next steps upon our return.”
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., was harsher still, calling Stevens “clearly disturbed” and accusing her of throwing “her constituents under the bus.”
“Too many people live off their 15 minutes of fame. 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.” — Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined in, writing on X that “working class people’s lives are on the ballot on Tuesday—their healthcare, their rent, their bills. Haley Stevens just betrayed them by endorsing the very Republican she said she wanted to run against.”
The national party piled on as well. Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin called the endorsement “a betrayal of the values of the Democratic Party” and vowed the party would “triple down on our efforts to elect Abdul El-Sayed on Tuesday.” The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, chaired by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., issued a similar statement rejecting “any efforts to divide Democrats ahead of Tuesday’s crucial election.”
Hasan Piker, the streamer at the center of much of the dispute, responded on social media with a brief line: “i condemn haley stevens.” Pod Save America hosts Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett also weighed in, with Favreau calling the move “the single most unproductive, selfish thing a Democratic candidate has done all cycle,” and Lovett calling Stevens a “sleaze.” Commentator Keith Olbermann described it as Stevens’ “vermin-like betrayal of her party and her constituents and her nation.”
How the split happened
Stevens had said for months she would support El-Sayed despite their primary fight, which El-Sayed won narrowly on Aug. 4, 2026. The relationship collapsed last week after Stevens objected to an ad backing El-Sayed that was widely criticized as antisemitic. She said she would appear with El-Sayed at a weekend event only if he denounced the ad. Instead, El-Sayed — whose standing with Michigan’s Jewish community has already been shaky — disinvited her from the event.
The ad was produced by Rebellion PAC, run by Young Turks co-founder Cenk Uygur, who is Piker’s uncle. El-Sayed had invited Piker onto the campaign trail during the primary, and Piker has remained a liability ever since. Piker has previously said “America deserved 9/11,” praised Mao Zedong and Communist China, said capitalists should be murdered in the streets, and made antisemitic remarks. El-Sayed has declined to denounce him, dismissing Piker as a “streamer from California” who shouldn’t be the campaign’s focus.
At a press event following the Stevens endorsement, El-Sayed asked reporters to keep questions on policy issues rather than the controversy, telling them, “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.” Stevens also saw staff departures from her office following the video’s release.
