Michigan Representative Haley Stevens stunned the political establishment on Sunday by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate, breaking with her party just two days before the midterm election and triggering an immediate wave of staff resignations and fierce condemnation from Democratic leaders.
Stevens, a Democrat, lost her party’s August Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed by approximately one percentage point. Following the contest, she initially pledged to support the nominee and help defeat Rogers, appearing with El-Sayed at a unity breakfast. However, tensions lingered over foreign policy, particularly El-Sayed’s sharp criticisms of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and his rhetoric, which critics argued alienated pro-Israel Democrats.
The unexpected about-face unfolded over a weekend that began with mounting friction. On Friday evening, Stevens attended a dinner at Beau’s Grillery in Bloomfield Township with her fiancé, disability rights lawyer Jason Turkish, her mother, and former Michigan Governor Jim Blanchard. According to Blanchard, Turkish strongly criticized Stevens during the meal for endorsing El-Sayed immediately after a divisive primary. Blanchard said he defended Stevens as a team player and later warned her that Turkish was “not a good influence,” though Stevens insisted she was fine and maintained she would honor her commitments to the party.
Despite those assurances, concerns over Turkish’s influence rapidly escalated among Stevens’s friends and former aides. Jordan Acker, a University of Michigan regent, posted on X that he had become “deeply troubled by his behavior” and had heard serious concerns regarding Turkish’s treatment of staff and allies. Caitlin Legacki, a former press representative for Stevens’s campaign, accused Turkish of being verbally abusive to staff during the primary. Turkish pushed back on social media against claims regarding his access to Stevens’s devices, while Stevens maintained that the endorsement was entirely her own decision.
Before Sunday’s announcement, leading Democrats still expected Stevens to participate in unity events. Representative Jamie Raskin told reporters that he spoke with Stevens for 25 minutes on Saturday night and that she assured him she would celebrate with Democrats on election night. Instead, Stevens appeared alongside Rogers at Perfecting Church in Detroit on Sunday morning, announcing her switch in a video message after stating that the Democratic campaign had made it clear she was no longer welcome.
The political fallout was swift and severe. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the move “a despicable betrayal,” while former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi labeled it “horrific.” DNC Chairman Ken Martin stated that the decision betrayed party values, and the Michigan Democratic Party scrubbed her photograph from its website, declaring she was no longer a member. Justin German, her chief of staff of eight years, announced along with roughly half of her office staff that they were resigning, describing themselves as shocked and heartbroken.
Several House Democrats, including Representatives Lateefah Simon, Marc Veasey, and Emily Randall, indicated they would support removing Stevens from the congressional caucus. House rules prohibit members from campaigning for non-Democratic candidates in partisan federal elections, though discussions regarding potential disciplinary action or expulsion were deferred until after the election.
Public polling leading up to the election showed El-Sayed maintaining a lead over Rogers. A final New York Times/Siena University poll put El-Sayed ahead 53 percent to 42 percent among likely voters, while prediction markets and fundraising indicators showed strong momentum for his campaign. Stevens, whose congressional term concludes in January, has stated that she remains a Democrat and intends to navigate her next steps independently after leaving office.
