Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) faced fierce backlash from fellow Democrats, party officials and her own staffers after endorsing Republican Mike Rogers for U.S. Senate on Sunday. Why it matters: It's a stunning reversal in standing for Stevens, who came within a few percentage points of being her party's nominee for Senate in Michigan just months earlier. "Pathetic, petty, selfish, unhinged," Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told Axios of her endorsement of Rogers. "You run out of words." Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.) said of the video Stevens posted to social media announcing her endorsement and her joint press conference with Rogers: "I've seen more pleasant self-immolations." State of play: Stevens' endorsement of Rogers came after her long-running feud with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed reached a boiling point over the weekend. El-Sayed, a leftist who narrowly defeated the more moderate Stevens in the Senate primary in August, said in a statement on Friday that Stevens "seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago." Stevens had been pressing El-Sayed to more forcefully condemn an ad from an outside super PAC that suggested U.S. aid to Israel was partly to blame for rising prices. Stevens, in her video endorsing Rogers, said that El-Sayed "said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign, and that I should stay away," adding, "He's right. ... I don't belong in Abdul's campaign." What they're saying: Stevens' Democratic colleagues met her endorsement with shock and fury. "I am lost for words," Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.) told Axios. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) said in a text to Axios: "WTF!!??" "I JUST SAW THIS BULLSHIT," Rep. Emily Randall (D-Wash.) texted. "There is too much on the line for BS like this." "What the fuck is she doing?" another House Democrat said. "This election is not about her, and this will not age well." Zoom in: "I'm dumbfounded that Haley told me one thing last night and changed her mind today," said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D
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Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) appeared Sunday at Detroit's Perfecting Church alongside Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers , praising his support for Black-owned businesses just two days before he faces the Democratic nominee she previously endorsed. Stevens then tweeted an endorsement for Rogers. Why it matters: The appearance gives Rogers a striking moment as his party tries to peel away Black and Jewish voters in a tight race that could determine control of the Senate. Driving the news: Stevens' appearance with Rogers came after plans for her to attend a Detroit church service alongside Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) collapsed. Her appearance with Rogers was arranged at the last minute after the two spoke this morning, per a person familiar. The intrigue: A video posted by Detroit journalist Sam Robinson showed Stevens entering the church and praising Rogers . Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), who helped organize the original planned appearance with El-Sayed, told CNN she asked Stevens not to attend because the dispute had become distracting. Stevens narrowly lost the August Democratic primary to El-Sayed but endorsed him afterward. Catch up quick: The bitter primary rivalry erupted again last week when Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish, announced he would vote for Rogers, citing concerns about El-Sayed's rhetoric on Israel. Stevens subsequently demanded that El-Sayed condemn an outside group's ad linking U.S. support for Israel to higher grocery prices, and remove a campaign ad featuring Tucker Carlson. El-Sayed accused Stevens of re-litigating the primary. On Saturday, he explicitly rejected the outside ad's contents, prompting Stevens to welcome his remarks. What we're watching: Michigan voters choose between Rogers and El-Sayed on Tuesday, with Democrats facing a crucial test of whether they can reunite their coalition.
Representative Haley Stevens, who has been in a growing feud with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, appeared with the Republican nominee, Mike Rogers.
He had originally canceled the in-person appearances in favor of tele-rallies, only to reverse course Sign up for the Breaking News US email Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. Donald Trump is making stops in Iowa and Kansas to throw support behind Republicans in competitive Senate races with just two days remaining before the midterm elections. He had originally canceled the in-person appearances in favor of tele-rallies, only to reverse course on Friday. Abdul El-Sayed , the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s tightly fought Senate race, wants Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens to stay away from his campaign events. The two had planned to appear together Sunday at a church service in Detroit, but Representative Debbie Dingell later told CNN she had spoken to Stevens and told her, “This isn’t working.” A US judge dismissed Trump’s lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal with prejudice on Saturday, according to a court filing, bringing an end to his legal challenge over the newspaper’s reporting on his alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein . Continue reading...
Former president has given series of blistering speeches to help candidates in key races – and deployment has proved a hit with party’s progressive wing That could have been awkward. Barack Obama , campaigning for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, acknowledged that his fellow Democrat has criticised some aspects of the Obama presidency. “Yeah, Abdul didn’t agree with some things we wanted to do – that our administration was doing – when I was president,” he told a rally in Detroit . “You know who else doesn’t agree with everything I do? Michelle Obama.” The crowd erupted in laughter. “I’d say about five times a day, she says, ‘You knucklehead. Why you do that?’” Continue reading...
“We had a primary, right?” Dr. El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, told reporters. “I understand that some folks are upset about that. I get it. But I’m here trying to beat Mike Rogers.”
Tensions have flared between Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, and his former primary rival, leaving uncertainty about their scheduled joint event on Sunday.
With control of Congress on the line, next week’s midterms amount to a referendum on Trump, who has urged voters to pretend he is on the ballot Sign up for the Breaking News US email Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. Donald Trump is tele-rallying from Mar-a-Lago with just three days to go before the midterm elections. On Sunday, he will make appearances at rallies in Iowa in Kansas in a reversal after he initially backed out . The top federal prosecutor in Alaska confirmed on Friday the existence of a criminal and a civil investigation into an alleged scheme by Mary Peltola’s campaign and national Democrats to confuse voters in the closely watched Senate race by recruiting a spoiler candidate who shares a name with the Republican incumbent, Dan Sullivan . Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed resisted a demand from his defeated primary rival, congresswoman Haley Stevens , that he apologize for criticism of US military aid to Israel on Friday – two days before they were scheduled to campaign together in Detroit. Early voting this cycle has set a record. More than 49 million Americans have already cast ballots, either in person or by mail, the Associated Press reported. Continue reading...
In a frank interview, she described her disappointment and also said she was considering converting to Judaism. Her fiancé had thoughts, too.
The tensions between the former Democratic primary candidates have drawn in other Michigan Democrats as the party hopes to secure a critical Senate seat.
In a podcast interview, she asserted that criticism of Israel from some prominent Democrats did not reflect the views of the party itself.
Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan, who was defeated by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in August’s Democratic Senate primary, said she would appear with the candidate this weekend.
The Michigan Senate candidate is calling for public ownership and other reforms, offering a potential antidote to ideological gridlock The Michigan senatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat, occupies a strange but increasingly common place in modern American politics. He’s praised by progressives, begrudgingly tolerated by moderate Democrats and largely demonized by Republicans. He’s also uniquely positioned to forge an all-too-elusive thread of political kinship between these perpetually-at-odds groups with his bold but contentious plan for reining in AI, called AI Under Democracy . Continue reading...
Some Democrats are making a play for segments of the "Make America Healthy Again" base, hoping pitches about food safety and environmental health will attract voters disillusioned with the Trump administration's lack of progress on those fronts. Why it matters: Policies around cleaning up the food supply and agricultural practices helped forge a coalition that's credited with helping President Trump win a second term. But disagreements over issues like pesticide use are fueling speculation that MAHA voters may not show up in force to help Republicans in the midterm elections — and may be persuaded to put their faith in Democrats instead. Driving the news: Some Democrats say they're the party better positioned to take on established interests through regulation and are honing messaging with an eye toward the 2028 presidential race. The Center for American Progress, an influential progressive think tank, recently released a proposal focused on healthier foods and reducing harmful chemicals alongside polling showing Democrats are poised to claim the agenda as their own. "I do think the MAHA grassroots movement has raised the salience of some issues where Democrats have an opportunity to align, particularly on chemicals and pesticides," said Topher Spiro, an author of the CAP report. "I think that these are issues that have been percolating for a long time, and that, frankly, Democrats haven't done a great job of prioritizing." "If you're looking at who are the swing voters in this electoral environment, they overlap very highly with voters who care about these issues," added Becca Siegel, chief insights officer at CAP. Though affordability concerns have dominated the midterm elections, some Democratic lawmakers and candidates have already backed legislation or policy agendas that overlap with MAHA themes. Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed last month released a proposal titled "Building a Healthier America" that included calls for banning certain pesticides — a k
President Trump has increasingly singled out Muslim politicians and communities in a bid to rally his base in the final push before election day. Why it matters: Trump's comments could energize some Republican voters in close races, but the strategy could alienate those who see the rhetoric as fearmongering or discriminatory . Driving the news: Trump's Monday appearance at a Michigan rally for GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers included several barbs at Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed's Muslim faith. Trump suggested that El-Sayed posed a security threat, saying, "He would be the only senator that will have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go into the Senate." He also called El-Sayed a "jihadist," baselessly claimed the Senate candidate wants to impose sharia law in Michigan, and again accused him of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed has repeatedly denied ties to extremist groups, and no evidence has emerged linking him to the Muslim Brotherhood. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Between the lines: Republican political consultant Dennis Darnoi told Axios that Trump's rhetoric "doesn't really move the needle one way or the other" in Michigan, where voters have heard similar language before. Darnoi says the strategy could "energize and mobilize" Trump's base. But it could also discourage Jewish and Black Democrats who backed El-Sayed's primary opponent, Haley Stevens, from supporting him in November. "It's not always about winning, but if you can minimize the size of your loss and then go into more Republican areas and gin up your turnout and gin up your margin of victory, then you can win a very close statewide race." By the numbers: About 38% of Michigan likely voters said they would be less likely to support a Muslim candidate, according to a Michigan State University poll released Monday. But 58% said a candidate's being Muslim would make no difference, while 52% said a Trump endorsement would make them less l
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are living out their midterm nightmares — with nominees they didn't want and former colleagues they no longer control. Why it matters: Together, Schumer and Thune are stuck with five Senate races in which their party establishments thought they had a better chance of winning with someone else. 🤠 Texas: Thune's efforts to stop Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from winning the party's Senate nomination failed. Now Republicans are spending more than $329 million to defeat state Rep. James Talarico— and it's still a nail-biter. 🍑 Georgia: GOP leaders couldn't convince Gov. Brian Kemp to run. The eventual nominee, Rep. Mike Collins, has struggled to keep pace with fundraising juggernaut Sen. Jon Ossoff (D). GOP money is in retreat. 🦞 Maine: Schumer endorsed Gov. Janet Mills, but Graham Platner's implosion left Democrats with backup Troy Jackson against Sen. Susan Collins. ⛴️ Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens and made a name for himself nationally. But he won by just one point even though primary polls showed him up by double digits. He's now polling within the margin of error against the GOP nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers. 🏈 Minnesota: Peggy Flanagan ran as a progressive, said she would not support Schumer as leader and bested establishment-backed Rep. Angie Craig. But Cook Political Report moved her race against former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya toward Republicans even as it shifted other races toward Democrats. To make matters worse, Thune's and Schumer's former colleagues are creating fresh headaches by boosting candidates across the aisle. Former Sen. Joe Manchin, who flipped to independent in 2024 after being elected as a Senate Democrat, is campaigning for Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), as Semafor reported. Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema , who also flipped from Democrat to independent before leaving office, is boosting Republican Jay Feely in her hom