Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan defended her decision to endorse Republican Mike Rogers in the closely watched Michigan Senate contest, saying the move was a private, one-off choice and not a rejection of her party. Stevens made the remarks to reporters in Detroit while standing alongside Rogers, after initially supporting Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.
“I’m not turning my back on Democrats,” Stevens said, according to comments reported from the event. “It is this one vote.” She described the endorsement as “my personal and private decision,” adding, “I still love the party….” Those quotes were made as she spoke beside Rogers in Detroit.
The endorsement — described by Stevens as a single vote — represents an unusual cross-party public show of support in a battleground Michigan Senate race. Stevens had previously supported Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a shift she acknowledged when defending her decision at the Detroit appearance.
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Stevens defends surprise endorsement of Rogers, says he remains committed to Democrats
Stevens framed the choice as narrowly focused rather than a broader political realignment. Her remarks emphasized a personal judgment about this particular contest while affirming her ongoing attachment to Democratic Party values and membership.
Rogers, the Republican candidate, stood with Stevens during her remarks; the supplied material does not include further comment from him or from El-Sayed. The endorsement and Stevens’s explanation were reported at the scene by journalists present in Detroit.
Cross-party endorsements by current members of Congress are relatively uncommon and tend to draw attention because they signal a public break from party unity in a competitive race. The supplied account does not detail the reasons Stevens gave for preferring Rogers over El-Sayed, nor does it report responses from party officials, voters, or other local leaders.
The postures Stevens expressed — stressing the private nature of her choice and reiterating her Democratic affiliation — frame the endorsement as an exception rather than a wholesale change in allegiance. Beyond her quoted remarks at the Detroit appearance, the provided material does not supply additional explanation, documentation, or a timeline for when she moved from supporting El-Sayed to endorsing Rogers.
Readers should note that the information presented here is taken from the reported comments made by Rep. Stevens at the Detroit event and the accompanying description that she had initially supported Abdul El-Sayed before endorsing Mike Rogers.
