President Donald Trump praised Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) on Sunday after the congresswoman announced she is backing Republican Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's U.S. Senate race, calling her decision an act of bravery and a major development in one of the country's most closely watched contests.
"Wow, this is BIG!"
The president's praise followed Stevens' video announcement posted to X, in which she said El-Sayed had made clear she was no longer welcome in his campaign.
"Hey Michigan, as you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away. And he's right. And that's why I'm endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today," Stevens said.
Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in Michigan's August Democratic primary, described herself as "a very proud Democrat" who loves her state but said she could not support El-Sayed, citing his backing from political streamer Hasan Piker, according to Fox News. She had pressed El-Sayed to condemn an outside group's ad linking U.S. support for Israel to higher grocery prices, which she called antisemitic.
The endorsement came after Stevens was disinvited from a planned church event with El-Sayed at Detroit's Perfecting Church. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), who helped organize the appearance, said Stevens was asked to skip it after the dispute became a distraction and upset the church's bishop. Stevens instead appeared at the church alongside Rogers, and then released her video.
Rogers, appearing outside the church, told reporters he was honored by the support. "This is more a statement about standing together against hate and the future of this state and this country than it is anything else," he said.
The endorsement drew immediate backlash from Democrats, according to The Guardian, which reported that some of Stevens' own campaign staff quit following the announcement. CNN correspondent Manu Raju reported that longtime chief of staff Justin German and communications director Logan Basch were among those who left.
El-Sayed, speaking at a rally on Sunday — the same event Stevens had been disinvited from — told reporters he does not think about his former primary rival. "At the end of the day, I actually don't think about Haley Stevens," he said, adding that voters who oppose hate should not support Rogers, Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Trump's post marked a striking turn: Stevens' website reportedly includes an entire page dedicated to denouncing his policies, according to The Guardian.
The Michigan Senate race is one of the most competitive in the country and could determine which party controls the Senate. El-Sayed defeated Stevens by a narrow margin in August, and she had for months declined to openly campaign for him.
ABC News noted the president's praise in a post on X, writing: "President Trump lavished praise on Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan after she endorsed Republican Mike Rogers on Sunday over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the Senate race, who defeated Stevens in the primary."
Our Take
For once, a Democrat put principle over party — and the president noticed. Haley Stevens looked at Abdul El-Sayed's refusal to condemn antisemitic rhetoric from his supporters, his embrace by a streamer with a history of inflammatory commentary, and she said: enough. That took guts, and Trump is right to call it out.
Notice what the Democrats did in response. They didn't debate her arguments. They called it a "betrayal" and her own staff walked out. That tells you everything about the modern Left: there's no room for dissent, no room for a Democrat who thinks for herself, and no room for anyone who won't fall in line behind a nominee whose campaign has been dogged by questions about antisemitism.
El-Sayed's response — "I actually don't think about Haley Stevens" — is the tell. He doesn't think about the voters she represents, either. He's running for a Senate seat in a state where the Jewish community and its allies are watching closely, and he won't answer the simplest question about hate in his own coalition.
Patriots should be paying attention to Michigan. This race is a test of whether common sense can beat party loyalty, and Stevens just cast her vote for common sense. The question now is whether Michigan voters will do the same on Election Day.
