Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers on Sunday amid a rift with Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed that has come front and center in the final sprint to Election Day.

"Our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away, and he's right," Stevens said in a video posted on social media Sunday. "And that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today."

Stevens appeared alongside Rogers at a Detroit church on Sunday.

El-Sayed on Sunday did not reference Stevens by name, but said, "This is a state of 10 million people who deserve a lot better from their government. I'm a lot more focused on the 9,999,998 that are not the ones who are talking about."

Stevens, who narrowly lost to El-Sayed in Michigan's Democratic primary in August, where she was heavily supported by the Senate Democrats' campaign arm, called on El-Sayed last week to condemn an outside group's ad linking U.S. military aid to Israel to rising grocery prices, which she characterized as antisemitic. El-Sayed accused Stevens of "relitigating a primary that ended three months ago," although he has also clarified that the ad "was not made by me" and said he disagrees with its contents.

El-Sayed pushed to return the attention to the issues facing Michigan voters as he takes on the GOP candidate, Rogers. But Rogers praised Stevens on Friday for calling on El-Sayed to denounce the ad, and for expressing concerns raised by Michigan Jewish voters.

"Representative Haley Stevens is a courageous leader who deserves the respect of every Michigan voter," Rogers said in a post on X. "She has conducted herself with nothing but class since the Democratic primary, a primary where a majority of voters did not vote for her party's nominee."

Speaking to reporters after he appeared with Stevens at the Detroit church Sunday, Rogers said he was honored to receive her support.

"This is more a statement about standing together against hate and the future of this state and this country than it is anything else," Rogers said.

Rogers said he got the call Sunday morning from Stevens, and the two decided to appear together at the church. He said he and Stevens talked about what was better for the future of the state. And he noted that Stevens reminded him at the end of their call that she remains a Democrat.

Stevens said she's "not trying to harm" the Democratic Party with the move, insisting that she isn't "turning her back on Democrats."??

"It is this one vote," she said. "And I will tell you why: Because when you see hate, when you see us standing with Hasan Piker, and repeated hate, it's not acceptable."

"That's it. It's my personal and private decision," Stevens said. "It's a Michigan moment, and everyone is entitled to their opinion."

Stevens said she "meant it" when she previously endorsed El-Sayed. But she added, "He chose to close his campaign by saying I wasn't welcome."

The appearance with Rogers came after Stevens had been expected to appear with El-Sayed at a unity event Sunday alongside Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. But El-Sayed said Saturday, "I would rather not distract from the key issues of this campaign."

Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish, said last week that he is voting for Rogers.

Democrats stunned by reversal, Trump praises Stevens
After Stevens endorsed Rogers, top Democrats expressed their continued support for El-Sayed's candidacy, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

"Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed, because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors," Schumer said in a statement.

In a post on X, Schumer called it a "despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens."

Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan said Michiganders "want leaders focused on making their lives more affordable."

"That's what they're talking about, not Congresswoman Stevens' continued efforts to get attention," she said in a statement. "??If we are going to fight to improve the lives of working men and women in Michigan, we must stay focused on electing Democrats up and down the ballot, and that includes electing Abdul El-Sayed as Michigan's next senator."

Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel posted on social media that Stevens is "not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future."

President Trump praised Stevens for backing Rogers.

"Her following is huge, and the level of respect from the People of Michigan, especially our African American and Jewish populations, is virtually unparalleled," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Haley said what few people are willing to say. She showed great and almost unprecedented loyalty to the Great People of Michigan with what she did."

He told reporters later: "That was a big move, I think. Nobody expected that, but it's a smart thing to do because El-Sayed would destroy our country. So I thought that was fantastic."

Appearing with Mr. Trump in Iowa for a campaign rally, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he spoke to Stevens after she endorsed Rogers and "encouraged her to stay safe and keep speaking the truth."

More broadly, Republicans cited the move as they billed El-Sayed as too liberal for the state.

"Democrats who feel Abdul has abandoned them have a home with Mike, who is building a winning coalition of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans to save Michigan from El-Sayed's radical, terrorist-sympathizing agenda," Republican National Committee spokesman Hunter Lovell said in a statement. "The center of Michigan politics has moved, and Abdul is on the wrong side of it."

Stevens' team resigns after endorsement
Following Stevens' endorsement of Rogers and her appearance on Sunday, her longtime chief of staff resigned, with a number of staff members expected to follow soon.

In a statement first shared by CNN, Stevens' former chief of staff Justin German said he and the team are "shocked and heartbroken" by her decision to support Rogers and that they are "wholeheartedly supporting" El-Sayed for Senate.

"This election is too important to sow division or stand on the sidelines," German wrote. "Those of us who are Michigan voters are supporting Democrats up and down the ballot and have been working all season to elect strong Democratic majorities to the House and Senate — we will continue to do so."

"Hello, as of November 1st I am no longer with the Office of Congresswoman Haley Stevens," an automated email reply from Stevens' former communications director, Logan Basch, reads.

Joetta Appiah, Stevens' former press secretary and campaign spokesperson, said in a statement that Stevens is "walking back on everything her campaign stood for."

"Michiganders deserve better, and they need to stay focused on what matters, which is electing Abdul to the Senate to stand up to Donald Trump, hold his administration accountable, and fight to lower costs for Michiganders," Appiah said. "We cannot let this distract us from Tuesday."

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