The Republican National Committee on Sunday seized on Rep. Haley Stevens's decision to endorse Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race, saying the defection of a prominent Democrat signals a broader realignment in the battleground state.
"When Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who ran against Abdul El-Sayed and knows him better than anyone, stands with Mike Rogers, Michigan should take notice," RNC spokesperson Hunter Lovell said in a statement. Lovell added that Democrats who feel abandoned by El-Sayed "have a home with Mike," whom he described as building a coalition of Democrats, independents, and Republicans. "The center of Michigan politics has moved, and Abdul is on the wrong side of it," Lovell said.
Stevens, who lost a bitter primary to El-Sayed earlier this year, had initially endorsed the Democratic nominee but never campaigned with him. Her decision to back Rogers instead came after El-Sayed dropped her from a Sunday campaign event, according to sources familiar with the matter. Stevens told reporters she was responding to "hate" and to El-Sayed's decision to campaign with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker.
The endorsement has roiled Michigan Democrats, who are fighting to hold the seat being vacated by Sen. Gary Peters and need a net gain of four seats to capture the Senate majority. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel blasted Stevens, saying she "has abandoned everything she claims to care about" by campaigning with Rogers, whom he accused of selling out working-class voters, supporting a national abortion ban, and pledging loyalty to Trump's agenda.
El-Sayed brushed off the controversy at a Detroit campaign event, appearing alongside Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.). "This is a state of 10 million people who deserve a lot better from the government," he said. "I'm a lot more focused on the 9,999,998 that are not the ones you guys are talking about."
The rupture between Stevens and El-Sayed reflects a wider Democratic divide over U.S. support for Israel, with many in the party critical of Israel's military campaign in Gaza and others accusing it of genocide. Stevens and El-Sayed have clashed repeatedly on the issue, and her endorsement of Rogers is the latest flashpoint.
The fallout inside Stevens's office was immediate. Staffers resigned en masse, with former longtime chief of staff Justin German saying he and "many members" had stepped down, "shocked and heartbroken by Congresswoman Stevens's decision to support Mike Rogers."
The RNC's swift response underscores how both parties see Michigan as a pivotal Senate battleground. Republicans are eager to frame Stevens's move as evidence that El-Sayed is too far left for the state, while Democrats worry the infighting could damage their chances in November.
