by Sharon Rondeau
(Nov. 1, 2026) — At 12:44 p.m. EST, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) in a press conference endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Gary Peters (D).
Stevens sought the Democrat nomination for the seat against Abdul El-Sayed but was defeated in early August in a very close race. In recent days it was reported she offered to campaign with El-Sayed this weekend but was rebuffed when he apparently declined to condemn, at her request, an anti-Israel advertisement produced by a political action committee launched by the uncle of podcaster Hasan Piker.
During the primary El-Sayed campaigned with Piker but afterward described Piker as merely “a streamer in California.”
In her public comments as Rogers stood next to her, Stevens said she remains a Democrat and expects the party to win a majority of seats in the Senate on Tuesday. “This is about Michigan and just one vote that I am taking,” Stevens said, indicating she felt it “in her heart” to endorse Rogers when she awoke this morning.
She said El-Sayed told her she “wasn’t welcome” to campaign with him after she reportedly placed the condition on her planned appearance with him Sunday.
According to Fox News, Stevens, who is Jewish, was expected to attend church with Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) and El-Sayed this morning but instead was seen alongside Rogers during a church service.
Stevens said her outlook is that people can disagree on politics but “still be friends.”
Rogers interjected several times to affirm Stevens’s stance that “hate” is not welcome in American politics or society and that certain “conversations” have been taking place in Detroit to effect changes residents desire.
On Saturday morning, Stevens’s fiance, Jason Turkish, identified himself as a lifelong Democrat who chose to support Rogers in the Senate race based on El-Sayed’s expressed position on Israel.
Stevens said she will be returning to private life once her term in Congress comes to a close in early January. She is supporting Christina Hines (D) for the House seat she has held since 2019.
She posted a personal endorsement of Rogers on her X account here.
Leave a Reply