Key facts
- Stevens lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed in August and had endorsed him after conceding.
- Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers on Sunday, two days before the November 3 midterms.
- Chuck Schumer called the endorsement a despicable betrayal and said Senate Democrats back El-Sayed.
- Curtis Hertel said Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party.
- Stevens said on CNN she changed her mind and was rock solid in backing Rogers.
Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat who lost the Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed in August, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers two days before the November 3 midterms, then defended the switch in a CNN interview the following day, saying: "I changed my mind."
Stevens had endorsed El-Sayed after conceding the primary. She was reportedly asked by El-Sayed not to attend a Sunday campaign event alongside him, and instead appeared with Rogers. In a video posted to X she said: "I don't belong in Abdul's campaign," adding: "That's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers."
Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the US Senate, called the move a "despicable betrayal." Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, wrote on X that Stevens is "not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future." Debbie Dingell described Stevens's interview as "painful."
Rogers said the move showed "courage," and Trump called Stevens "very brave." El-Sayed told reporters: "At the end of the day, I don't think about Haley Stevens."