Rep. Haley Stevens Endorses Republican Rogers Over Democrat El-Sayed in Michigan Senate Race

A sitting Democratic congresswoman crossing party lines one day before a Senate election illustrates the degree to which the El-Sayed campaign's rhetoric on Jewish safety became a decisive factor...

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), who represents Michigan's 11th Congressional District, announced her endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan U.S. Senate race on Sunday, November 1, 2026, one day before Election Day. The endorsement was made outside a church in Detroit, according to reporting by the New York Post published November 2, 2026.

Stevens had previously backed Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the race. Her reversal came after Jason Turkish, a Jewish Democrat and disability rights advocate who is also Stevens's fiancé, publicly stated that El-Sayed's rhetoric puts the safety of Jewish people at risk, per the same New York Post report. Turkish's statement preceded Stevens's announcement by a matter of days.

Stevens's mother, speaking to the New York Post from Huntington Woods, Michigan, stated that her daughter made the decision to endorse Rogers independently and was not directed by Turkish. The congresswoman's office had not issued a formal written statement beyond the public endorsement as of the time of publication. The Congressional Times was unable to independently verify the internal deliberations described.

Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate, is a former congressman who represented Michigan's 8th Congressional District from 2001 to 2015, according to congressional records maintained by the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. He is a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate, is a physician and former candidate for Michigan governor in 2018, where he lost the Democratic primary to Gretchen Whitmer, according to Michigan Secretary of State election records. El-Sayed's campaign did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. The specific statements by El-Sayed that Turkish and Stevens characterized as threatening to Jewish safety were not detailed in the source reporting reviewed by The Congressional Times. The full text of those statements would be found in El-Sayed's public campaign communications, congressional candidate disclosure filings, or official campaign event transcripts.

Stevens's endorsement of Rogers carries formal political weight. As a sitting Democratic member of Congress, any formal coordination or financial support she provides to a Republican candidate could implicate Federal Election Commission rules governing party committee coordination. No FEC filing indicating financial contribution from Stevens to Rogers was available in the public record as of publication.

The Michigan Senate race is considered competitive in 2026 midterm cycles. The seat was previously held by Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who announced he would not seek re-election. The Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball had both categorized the seat as a toss-up in their most recent pre-election ratings, though those assessments predate Stevens's endorsement.

Crossparty endorsements by sitting members of Congress are not common but have historical precedent. In 2022, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) faced primary pressure partly due to perceived ideological distance from his party. In 2008, then-Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), a former Democrat, endorsed Republican presidential nominee John McCain at the Republican National Convention. Neither case is directly analogous to a sitting Democratic House member endorsing a Republican Senate candidate in her home state one day before an election.

This story is also connected to the broader Michigan Senate contest, which has drawn national attention. As previously reported by The Congressional Times, Bruce Springsteen Endorses El-Sayed in Michigan Senate Race Against Rogers, a development that El-Sayed's campaign had promoted in its final days of campaigning.

What remains unknown is the precise content of El-Sayed's statements that Stevens cited as her basis for withdrawal of support. That information would be contained in El-Sayed's public remarks, debate transcripts from the Michigan Senate race, or any written response the El-Sayed campaign may issue. It is also unknown whether Stevens intends to vote for Rogers, endorse him in additional public venues, or whether any formal coordination between her office and the Rogers campaign occurred. FEC filings, which are updated periodically, would reflect any financial activity. Stevens's office had not responded to a request for clarification as of publication.