Haley Stevens Backs Mike Rogers Days Before Michigan Vote
The former House member endorsed the Republican Senate candidate after losing her party's primary, with nearly two million votes already cast.
By Lucas Chen ·
Michigan voters face a choice between two major party candidates in a decisive Senate race. On Sunday, Democrat Haley Stevens publicly endorsed Republican Mike Rogers.
Stevens represents Michigan's 11th Congressional District, which includes Auburn Hills, Pontiac, and Royal Oak. She has served in the U.S. House since 2019. Her term ends in January, leaving her out of office before the new Congress convenes. The endorsement came just two days before the Nov. 3 election.
Stevens lost a contentious Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed earlier this year. At the time, she said the primary was over and that her focus was on preventing Republicans from winning. She later shifted her support to Rogers. The decision puts a visible rift in the Democratic Party on display for national audiences.
The race for the open Senate seat is closely watched because of its impact on the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Outgoing Senator Gary Peters is a Democrat. A statewide poll conducted by Mitchell Research & Communications for CBS Detroit showed El-Sayed leading. The poll data was collected Oct. 26-27.
Stevens was born in Rochester Hills and graduated from Seaholm High School in Birmingham. Her background includes work as chief of staff to the U.S. Auto Rescue Task Force. She later joined a manufacturing research lab. In Congress, she served on the Education and Workforce Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Political leaders reacted quickly to Stevens' announcement. Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, posted on social media that Stevens is not a current member of the party and will not be in the future. President Trump called the move smart. He said he expected it was a strategic choice because El-Sayed would destroy the country.
Voting is already underway in Michigan. The state has 7,418,587 active registered voters. As of Sunday morning, 2,174,173 votes had been cast. That represents a 29.3% turnout. Stevens is engaged to Jason Turkish, who said he is voting for Rogers.
Source: CBS News Detroit
