Michigan Sen. Abdul El-Sayed urges voters to ignore Rep. Haley Stevens' defection

Voters in Michigan have one day left to cast their ballots for the U.S. Senate race, and the campaign is focused on turnout rather than the recent political drama. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed held a rally at Eastern Michigan University on Monday. He did not mention the endorsement given by his former primary rival the day before. El-Sayed told supporters that the campaign belongs to voters, not him. When asked how to handle nervousness about the endorsement, he replied, “Go vote.” He added, “There’s only one thing we can do to control the outcome.”

The urgency stems from the fact that over 2.3 million Michigan residents had already voted by Monday. In the 2022 midterms, nearly 4.5 million people participated. Early in-person voting ended on Sunday, and polls are open statewide on Tuesday. Lori Goldman, a Democratic organizer in Oakland County, noted that about half of the electorate has already decided. She said the late voting could determine the final margin.

On Sunday, Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers. She appeared with him at Perfecting Church in Detroit. This move led to her expulsion from the state Democratic Party. Party leaders, including those who had previously criticized El-Sayed, expressed strong disapproval. Curtis Hertel, the Michigan Democratic Party Chair, stated that the event would energize the Democratic base. El-Sayed raised $2.4 million on Sunday, his highest single-day total in the race.

The endorsement exposed existing tensions within the party. El-Sayed defeated Stevens by approximately 14,000 votes in the August primary. Disagreements centered on El-Sayed's stance regarding Israel and the war in Gaza. Stevens had supported El-Sayed after the primary but was absent from the trail for months. Her fiancé, Jason Turkish, announced last week that he would vote for Rogers.

Democrats had planned a unity event for Sunday featuring both Stevens and El-Sayed. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a senior party figure, said she uninvited Stevens because the dispute had become distracting. Dingell described the situation as painful and expressed concern for Stevens' well-being. Stevens later told CNN that she was relieved to be candid about her decision.

Local organizers reported a surge in volunteer activity following the news. Debbie Rosenman, who leads two Democratic groups in southeast Michigan, said volunteers were arriving at offices without prior registration. The influx required organizers to move campaign materials between locations to keep up with the demand. Rosenman described the sentiment among local Democrats as fury and a sense of betrayal.

Strategist Adrian Hemond, who supported Stevens in the primary, said the endorsement was driven by personal animosity rather than policy differences. He noted that if the issue was substance, Stevens would have acted a month earlier. The Republican campaign for Mike Rogers actively promoted the endorsement to voters on Monday. Rogers had personally contacted Stevens over the weekend, according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussions.