Democratic leaders in Michigan have condemned Haley Stevens’s decision to endorse Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, as senior figures warned that the dramatic break with her party was distracting from the final stages of the campaign.
Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed, backed Rogers after attending a church service with him in Detroit on Sunday, November 1 — two days before Election Day. The endorsement has intensified tensions within the state Democratic Party and triggered resignations from members of Stevens’s staff.
US Representative Debbie Dingell said she had advised Stevens not to attend a planned event with South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn after the row began to dominate attention. She said Stevens had told her late on Friday that reports she intended to support Rogers were untrue.
“Look, I’m just upset. I’m very concerned. It’s sad, but I don’t want to be distracted anymore,” Ms Dingell said.
Stevens had originally been expected to appear alongside Mr El-Sayed and Mr Clyburn in a show of Democratic unity. Instead, she appeared with Mr Rogers at Perfecting Church and said she would vote for the Republican, while maintaining that she remained a Democrat.
Mr El-Sayed played down the significance of the endorsement, saying he was more concerned with issues affecting voters than the dispute between the two former primary rivals. He is facing Mr Rogers in the contest to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.
Michigan Senate race overshadowed by endorsement row
State Senator Mallory McMorrow, who also sought the Democratic nomination before withdrawing, said the reaction in her district had not focused on Stevens’s decision. She said residents were instead worried about fuel and food prices, voting rights, evictions and access to healthcare.
“People are concerned about, ‘can I afford to stay in my house?’ The number of calls to my office with people who are facing eviction have gone up,” Ms McMorrow said. “That’s what I’m hearing, not about this.”
Ms McMorrow also accused the Rogers campaign of exploiting concerns about the economy to stir fear about Mr El-Sayed’s religion and background. She said a mailer sent to her home showed Mr El-Sayed beside the Twin Towers and urged voters not to trust him because of his name, race and faith.
“It’s beyond a distraction. They are running the most bigoted, hateful, Islamophobic campaign I’ve ever seen,” she said.
Mr Rogers, who is backed by President Donald Trump, said he had not expected Stevens’s support and described it as a statement about opposing what she regarded as hatred. Mr El-Sayed’s campaign has rejected the attempt to make the endorsement the focus of the closing days of the race.
The Michigan Democratic Party’s chair, Curtis Hertel, said Stevens was no longer considered a member of the state party. Her chief of staff also resigned, with other staff members reported to have followed after the endorsement.
More than 1.8 million Michigan voters had already cast ballots by Friday, according to the Associated Press. The Senate election will take place on Tuesday, November 3.
