Rep. Haley Stevens’ fiancé is breaking with the Democrat nominee in Michigan’s Senate election and backing Republican Mike Rogers. Jason Turkish says Abdul El-Sayed’s rhetoric about Israel is putting Jewish residents at risk, making the choice bigger than party loyalty.

Turkish, a Jewish attorney and Democrat donor, announced his decision less than a week before the November 3 election. He described his support for Rogers as a decision to put country before party.

El-Sayed defeated Stevens in the August Democrat primary before receiving her endorsement. Despite that endorsement, Turkish told The Detroit News that his concerns about El-Sayed had only grown since the primary concluded.

Turkish accused El-Sayed of antisemitism and argued that his criticism of Israel carries real consequences for Jewish people living in Michigan. He specifically pointed to what he described as an escalation in the nominee’s campaign rhetoric.

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“I’ve just seen an escalation in his rhetoric since the primary, and it makes folks unsafe. Every time he talks about genocide (in Gaza), Jews get death threats,” Turkish said.

Turkish practices disability and civil rights law and lives in Huntington Woods. He said he had hoped El-Sayed would use the general election campaign to bring Democrats together following a primary shaped by disagreements over Israel.

According to Turkish, that reconciliation did not happen. Instead, he said the general election campaign deepened the divisions that emerged during the Democrat primary.

“We have never seen a candidate for U.S. Senate act so recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community as we have seen from Abdul,” he added.

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The attorney’s rejection of El-Sayed is particularly notable because Stevens remains on the Democrat ticket and has endorsed the Senate nominee. Turkish nevertheless characterized his Rogers endorsement as “putting country before party.”

El-Sayed’s campaign answered the criticism by focusing on its effort to assemble enough voters to prevail in Michigan and help Democrats regain control of the Senate. Campaign spokeswoman Roxie Richner portrayed the campaign as open to supporters willing to join it.

“Abdul is focused on building a broad coalition to win Michigan and win back the Senate majority for Democrats. Our tent is big enough for all those who wish to join it,” Richner said in a statement.

Turkish appeared at an event for Rogers on October 28 at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham. The Republican Jewish Coalition sponsored the forum, which addressed Jewish security, the October 7 attacks, and the Temple Israel attack.

Mike Rogers Wins! Haley Stevens' fiancé says he's voting for Mike Rogers for Senate

Jason Turkish, the Democratic fiancé of former Sen. candidate Haley Stevens, told the paper he'll vote for Republican Mike Rogers, saying three months of watching convinced him Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is an antisemite who has acted recklessly toward Jewish community safety. He called it "putting country before party." — Steve Gruber (@stevegrubershow) October 28, 2026

Stevens has formally endorsed El-Sayed, but The Detroit News reported that she had not publicly campaigned beside him since a Democrat unity breakfast. That breakfast followed the August 4 primary in which El-Sayed defeated her.

WOW: Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens—who narrowly lost Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary to far-left progressive Abdul El-Sayed—now has her own fiancé publicly REJECTING him, and Stevens CONFIRMS he will VOTE for Mike Rodgers for U.S. Senate.

Jewish Democrat and civil-rights attorney Jason Turkish told The Detroit News: “I've just seen an escalation in his rhetoric since the primary, and it makes folks unsafe. Every time he talks about genocide (in Gaza), Jews get death threat.” “We have never seen a candidate for U.S. Senate act so recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community as we have seen from Abdul.” — RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) October 29, 2026

During a CNN appearance on Sunday, Stevens praised Rogers for his efforts to reach black voters in Detroit. Host Dana Bash then asked Stevens whether she remained fully behind El-Sayed, prompting the congresswoman to emphasize her own place on the Democrat ticket.

“Look, I’m on the Democratic ticket, you know. I can’t say that I agree with everything that’s gone on,” Stevens said.

El-Sayed has repeatedly accused Israel of genocide during the general election campaign. In an October interview with ABC News, he called Israel “not actually our friend” and accused the country of pulling the United States into wars it should not be fighting.

His remarks about Israel have also surfaced in the Senate debate. Earlier this month, El-Sayed declined to identify whether Israel or Iran posed the greater threat, instead describing both countries as dangerous in different ways.

Turkish’s decision places the political disagreement inside Stevens’ own household as Election Day approaches. While Stevens remains on the Democrat ticket and has endorsed El-Sayed, her fiancé says Rogers is the choice that puts the country first.

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