Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens, who lost the Senate primaries to Abdul el Sayed, has announced her official backing of El Sayed’s Republican opponent for the Upper Chamber seat, Mike Rogers, also a member of the House of Representatives. This move comes just days before the midterm elections, scheduled for next Tuesday, November 3.
"Our Democratic Senate candidate, Abdul, has said that I am no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should step aside. And he is right. And that is why today I support Mike Rogers for the United States Senate," Stevens said in a video released on her social networks.
In her message, Stevens criticizes El Sayed’s closeness to commentator and left-wing activist Hasan Piker and suggests that the Democratic contender’s strategy revolves around "hatred." "My camapaign said it was a love letter to Michigan and I am here to proclaim what we are as people from Michigan," she defended.
"I remain a proud Democrat. I still believe in everything I have voted for and said and for which I have worked so hard and I will continue doing so (...). God bless you all and I love you all very much!", the congresswoman emphasized, underscoring that her change of support does not imply a break with the Democratic Party.
Shortly before, Abby Ronson, a member of Rogers’s campaign team, had shared on social networks a photograph showing Rogers and Stevens together in a church, accompanied by the text "This is happening right now: congresswoman Halley Stevens joins Mike Rogers in a Detroit church this morning". The message concludes with a call: "We have a state to save, Michigan".
The image comes after a rise in tension between Stevens and El Sayed following some controversial statements by the latter about Israel, as well as his decision to de facto ban her from a recent campaign event, according to various American media outlets.
In response, El Sayed has emphasized on social networks that his team will not be distracted by the internal controversy: "While congresswoman Stevens seems to want to reopen the result of a primary from three months ago, we are focusing on what matters: defeating Mike Rogers, making (Donald) Trump answer for it, and taking money out of politics".
Stevens had censured El Sayed's reaction to an ad that linked Israel to the rising cost of basic goods in the United States. El Sayed has positioned himself in favor of cutting U.S. aid to Israel and directing those funds to domestic policies, a stance that channeled millions in funding toward Stevens's campaign, although it was not enough to prevent his defeat in the primaries.
After losing that internal contest, Stevens initially expressed her formal support for El Sayed as the Democratic candidate. However, the situation has been deteriorating, and her turn has been reinforced by the recent statements of her fiancé, of Jewish faith, who has assured that he will vote for Rogers in the Senate elections.