DETROIT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Democrats were hoping for a show of party unity Sunday. Instead, they got a political bombshell. U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, narrowly defeated by Abdul El-Sayed in August’s Democratic Senate primary, announced she is endorsing Republican Mike Rogers just two days before Election Day.

And Israel is once again at the center of the controversy.

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“Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” Stevens said in her endorsement video. “And he’s right. And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today.”

From Democratic Unity to Republican Church Pew

Instead of appearing alongside El-Sayed at a Detroit church event with South Carolina U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn on Sunday, Stevens attended services with Rogers at Perfecting Church.

Meanwhile, El-Sayed appeared at another Detroit church alongside Clyburn, Rep. Debbie Dingell, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and former Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow.

The El-Sayed event was a planned “Souls to the Polls” appearance, intended to rally Black voters, a constituency where Stevens had demonstrated strength against El-Sayed during the Democratic primary.

Dingell told CNN she had advised Stevens not to attend because the controversy had become a distraction. El-Sayed similarly indicated he didn’t want distractions during the campaign’s final days.

Israel, Grocery Bills and a Political Divorce

What controversy? The latest feud erupted over a repurposed advertisement from Rebellion PAC, a left- wing group founded by Cenk Uygur. Uygur is Hasan Piker’s uncle. El-Sayed has faced criticism for months because of his association with Piker, a controversial left-wing streamer who has drawn backlash for past remarks about Israel, Hamas and the October 7 terrorist attacks. Piker has appeared alongside El-Sayed at campaign events, raising concerns among many Democrats and Jewish organizations about the candidate’s willingness to embrace controversial figures amid ongoing tensions over Israel.

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The Uygur ad connected rising grocery costs to U.S. military support for Israel, suggesting Americans couldn’t afford eggs because money was being spent on “killing Palestinians.”

Stevens condemned the ad as antisemitic and demanded El-Sayed denounce it.

“Abdul promises to get money out of politics,” Stevens wrote on X Friday. “He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford.”

El-Sayed initially distanced his campaign from the advertisement without explicitly condemning its contents, while accusing Stevens of trying to relitigate their primary battle. By Saturday, however, he appeared to recognize that distancing himself wasn’t enough, finally telling CBS News, “I do not agree with the contents of that ad.” But the clarification apparently came too late to repair the political damage, as Stevens ultimately crossed party lines to endorse Republican Mike Rogers.

Party Loyalty vs. Personal Convictions

In her endorsement video, Stevens accused El-Sayed of spreading hateful rhetoric to Michigan college students and children, arguing that his association with controversial streamer Hasan Piker was helping expose young people across the state to messages of hate.

The contrast with Michigan Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is Jewish, is striking. Nessel had urged Jewish voters not to let concerns over Israel override their broader political interests. She incredulously said, “We have a moral imperative to place the needs of the world above even our own self-interest and, yes, even our own survival.”

Stevens took a different path, breaking with her own party’s Senate nominee to endorse Republican Mike Rogers. Stevens framed her decision as a matter of principle rather than party loyalty. Where Nessel emphasized sticking with Democrats despite disagreements, Stevens demonstrated that, at least in this race, her convictions mattered more than the letter next to a candidate’s name.

Democrats React to the Defection

After the Rogers endorsement, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel accused Stevens of abandoning her principles, while Rogers said he was honored by her endorsement.

Stevens emphasized that she was not abandoning the Democratic Party, insisting her endorsement applied only to Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. Her fiancé, meanwhile, had reportedly already planned to cast his ballot for Rogers.

Greg Manz, Spokesman, Michigan GOP put out a statement saying, “Haley Stevens knows Conman Abdul better than most, having gone head-to-head with him, which makes her bold and brave decision to endorse Mike Rogers all the more significant.” He continued, “It was a courageous decision that puts Michigan’s best interests ahead of partisan politics. Her support underscores a growing reality: traditional Democrats who no longer recognize their values in Conman Abdul’s radical Islamic ideology can find common ground with Mike Rogers.”

With Election Day approaching, a planned Democratic unity event has instead produced one of the campaign’s most unexpected endorsements – and handed Republicans a prominent Democratic supporter at the finish line. Democrats will likely now be counting on the ballots already cast through absentee and early voting to help limit the political damage from their last-minute infighting.