Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) is facing a staff exodus after her surprise endorsement of former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) in Michigan’s competitive Senate race. Multiple aides, including her longtime chief of staff, have resigned in protest.
Justin German, who served as Stevens’s chief of staff for eight years, announced his departure in a statement first obtained by CNN. “Many members of our team have resigned, including myself,” German said Sunday morning. “We are shocked and heartbroken by Congresswoman Stevens’s decision to support Mike Rogers.”
German urged supporters to “exercise their civic duty, vote for Abdul and Democrats up and down the ballot, and stand up for the America we all believe in,” referring to Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. The mass resignations were first signaled by an automated email reply from Stevens’s former communications director, which stated, “Hello, as of November 1st I am no longer with the Office of Congresswoman Haley Stevens.”
The fallout comes just days before the election. Stevens had been scheduled to appear alongside El-Sayed at a campaign event on Sunday, but the Democratic nominee removed her from the lineup, according to sources familiar with the matter. The snub underscores the deepening rift within Michigan’s Democratic Party over Stevens’s decision to back a Republican in a must-win Senate race.
Speaking at a press conference, Stevens defended her endorsement as a response to “hate” and El-Sayed’s ties to political streamer Hasan Piker. “It’s my personal and private decision. I still love the party. I’ve done a ton for the party. I’ve voted for the party over and over and over again. I’m going to continue to do that as I fill out my term,” she said. Her explanation echoes earlier claims about El-Sayed’s associations, which he has shrugged off as political noise.
The congresswoman’s endorsement of Rogers, who is locked in a tight race with El-Sayed, has infuriated progressive Democrats and party loyalists alike. Stevens’s decision also follows a series of controversies involving her fiancé, who recently backed Rogers, citing El-Sayed’s rhetoric. That move was brushed off by the El-Sayed campaign as an irrelevant sideshow.
Stevens’s staff resignations mark a stunning rebuke from her own team, which had worked with her for years. The chief of staff’s statement made clear that the decision was deeply personal for those who had served her. “We are shocked and heartbroken,” German wrote, signaling that the endorsement crossed a line for many in her office.
The broader political context is equally charged. El-Sayed has faced demands from Stevens to apologize for an Israel-related ad, a demand he hit back at forcefully. Meanwhile, Rogers has been dodging the MAGA label as the race tightens, and outside groups are trading barbs over the endorsement video.
With just days until the election, the staff resignations could further damage Stevens’s standing and complicate Democratic efforts to unite behind El-Sayed. The episode highlights the volatile environment in Michigan, where every endorsement and defection is magnified in a battle for Senate control.
