Democratic U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan stunned her party on Sunday by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's U.S. Senate race, two days before Election Day. Stevens lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed, the party's nominee.
Stevens attended a church service in Detroit with Rogers and sat beside him before announcing the endorsement in a video on social media. In it, she said El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign and should stay away, and "that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today. I don't belong in Abdul's campaign."
The move was a sharp turnaround. Only days earlier, Stevens had said she would support her party's ticket and planned to attend an El-Sayed event. CBS News reported that Reps. Debbie Dingell and Jamie Raskin had spoken with her the night before and said she assured them she would vote for El-Sayed.
At a joint news conference, Stevens said most of the votes she casts will still be for Democrats, but that her Senate vote would go to Rogers because "we have to stand with country." She later told CNN the decision was "a weight off my shoulders."
Democratic leaders reacted angrily. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who backed Stevens in the primary, called it a betrayal. Michigan Democratic Party chairman Curtis Hertel wrote that Stevens is not a current member of the state party and will not be in the future. A Rogers spokesperson said Rogers welcomed her support.
The Michigan race is one of the most closely watched in the country and could help decide which party controls the Senate. Democrats were left weighing their options in the final hours of the campaign.
NPR's morning news roundup that featured the story also reported that Gulf states were bracing for a possible U.S. attack on Iran.
Sources: AP, NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, USA Today, NPR.