Haley Stevens faces backlash over last-minute endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race

Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens is facing a wave of criticism after endorsing Republican Mike Rogers in the state's Senate race less than 48 hours before Election Day, reversing course just hours after reportedly assuring fellow Democrats she would stand behind her former primary rival, Abdul El-Sayed.

According to CNN's reporting, Stevens told a key Democratic ally as late as Saturday night that she was sticking with Sayed. By Sunday, however, she appeared alongside Rogers at a Detroit church and announced her support for the Republican, a turnaround of roughly 12 hours that has drawn widespread scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers and political commentators.

In a tense interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper on Sunday, Stevens was pressed repeatedly to explain what had changed overnight. "Well, look, this is just a weight off my shoulders, OK?" she responded, accusing Sayed of becoming increasingly angry and making some Democrats feel unwelcome in his campaign. "Nothing with me changed, Anderson," she insisted.

Cooper pushed back, noting that Stevens had previously described Rogers as a potential rubber stamp for President Donald Trump's agenda and had warned against giving Republicans another Senate seat. When Stevens continued to cite disagreements with Sayed without identifying a specific turning point, Cooper told her: "You're not really answering any of my questions, so it's somewhat frustrating." The exchange spread quickly online, with commentators questioning how Stevens could claim nothing had changed while flipping her endorsement within hours.

Stevens defended her decision by pointing to Sayed's association with progressive streamer Hasan Piker and to disagreements over antisemitism. "We can't stand with hate. We can't stand with Hasan Piker," she said while appearing with Rogers, and she again invoked Piker and his uncle, political commentator Cenk Uygur, during her CNN interview. Cooper noted those associations were already known when Stevens initially endorsed Sayed. Stevens also cited an advertisement by an outside political group linking the cost of living in Michigan to US financial support for Israel, an ad criticised for invoking antisemitic tropes, though Sayed had publicly disagreed with its framing, according to Axios.

Her framing drew a rebuke from the leadership of the Democratic National Committee's Jewish-American Council. In a joint statement shared on X, council chair Adam Goldwyn and vice chair Steph Newton acknowledged disagreements with Sayed over Israel and Jewish safety but said those disagreements "deserve to have serious discussion, not political exploitation." They accused Stevens of ignoring antisemitism controversies involving Rogers' campaign, citing students tied to his outreach operation who had defended a Young Republicans group chat containing praise for Adolf Hitler.

"If Stevens actually cared about protecting Jews, she would have raised those concerns with Rogers' campaign before endorsing the MAGA Republican. She did not," the statement read. The council leaders also criticised Rogers' alignment with Trump and urged Michigan voters to support Sayed. Other Jewish Democrats voiced similar positions, including Michigan congressional candidate Jeremy Moss, who has publicly disagreed with Sayed but told The Times of Israel: "Mike Rogers is not the solution to this problem."

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined the criticism, accusing Stevens of betraying working class voters "by endorsing the very Republican she said she wanted to run against," arguing that working class people's healthcare, rent and bills are on the ballot on Tuesday.

The controversy also triggered resignations within Stevens' staff and condemnation from Democratic lawmakers. Representative Jamie Raskin, who reportedly spoke with Stevens on Saturday night, expressed disbelief at her reversal, while Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell questioned the timing of the decision. Sayed, for his part, sought to move past the episode, telling reporters on Sunday that he was focused on Michigan voters rather than Stevens.