A Democrat in Michigan has endorsed the Republican candidate in the state's closely-fought US Senate contest, as a dispute with her own party's nominee escalated days before the vote. Haley Stevens, a former congresswoman who lost the Democratic nomination to Abdul El-Sayed, appeared alongside Republican candidate Mike Rogers on Sunday. "I don't belong in Abdul's campaign," Stevens stated in a video posted to X. "Who we are as Michiganders is not hate and is not what we are getting out from our Democratic nominee right now."
Stevens added, "That's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers." She also indicated that El-Sayed had informed her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. The two had been scheduled to appear together at an event on Sunday, but El-Sayed reportedly requested Stevens not attend.
The clash follows public disagreements over a liberal campaign advertisement that blamed Israel for high food prices. El-Sayed criticized the ad, stating he had no involvement in its content, and has not directly commented on Stevens's endorsement of his opponent. Analysts consider the Michigan Senate race one of the tightest contests in the upcoming midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress for the next two years. It is among several battleground races that will ultimately decide control of the Senate.