Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, explained why she endorsed former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican, over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the state’s contested Senate race. Her account centered on campaign advertisements, concerns about judgment, and the reaction from fellow Democrats.

“Once I concluded that Abdul El-Sayed is not fit to serve in the United States Senate, I had to confront who should,” Stevens wrote in a lengthy article posted on X. That conclusion placed her in direct conflict with her own party.

“Instead of asking why a lifelong Democrat reached this point, some leaders rushed to condemn me, question my motives, and push me out,” she said. “That response reveals something deeply troubling about what is missing in today’s Democratic Party.”

Stevens endorsed Rogers following an appearance at a Detroit church event on Sunday. The last minute decision created a rift between Stevens and the Democratic Party ahead of the contested Senate election.

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The Michigan Democratic Party has already ousted Stevens. She remains a member of the Congressional Democratic caucus for the upcoming lame duck session.

Two campaign advertisements supporting El-Sayed were central to Stevens’s explanation. She said their messages raised concerns that she could not dismiss while deciding whom to support in the Senate contest.

“One, from a group supporting Abdul, tied the cost of groceries to America’s support for Israel. Another, from Abdul’s own campaign, featured Tucker Carlson.”

Stevens had previously asked El-Sayed to condemn the advertisement connecting rising grocery prices with United States military aid to Israel. In her Monday post, she explained what she had sought from him through that request.

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She said she was “offering him an opportunity to reassure people, reject division, and demonstrate the leadership required of a United States Senator.” Her criticism therefore went beyond the existence of the advertisement and focused on how El-Sayed responded.

Stevens also pointed to El-Sayed’s ties to political streamer Hasan Piker. She called those ties “deeply disturbing” and said they “raised serious questions about his judgment and his ability to bring people together.”

The congresswoman also rejected reports suggesting that her fiancé, Jason Turkish, had influenced her endorsement of Rogers. Stevens argued that the suggestion denied her independence and reduced her political judgment to the views of her fiancé.

“That is sexism dressed up as political analysis. My fiancé has his own views.”

“I have mine. I made this decision, and I am proud of it. Do not question my independence simply because you disagree with my conclusion,” Stevens said.

Despite the rupture, Stevens said she still believes in the promise of the Democratic Party. She argued that the party must move beyond demands for loyalty and unquestioning obedience if it intends to fulfill that promise.

“But fulfilling that promise will require something more than loyalty tests and demands for blind obedience,” she asserted. “We can build a stronger, more welcoming, more courageous Democratic Party. And I plan to help lead that effort.”

https://t.co/7tDAMPJoIy

— Haley Stevens (@HaleyforMI) November 3, 2026

El-Sayed dismissed Stevens’s endorsement of Rogers when speaking with reporters on Sunday. “at the end of the day, I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens,” he said.

Decision Desk HQ, The Hill’s partner, said El-Sayed is “likely to win” against Rogers. The Cook Political Report, described as a nonpartisan political handicapper, also moved the race to “lean Democrat” in its final shift before Tuesday’s midterm election.

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