Haley Stevens Endorses Mike Rogers After El-Sayed Rift in Michigan

Michigan's Senate campaign has combined escalating attacks on Abdul El-Sayed's Muslim faith with a widening Democratic split. That split became a formal break on Sunday, when Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers, according to Politico.

El-Sayed and Rogers are competing to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, Yahoo News reported. Stevens lost the Democratic nomination to El-Sayed earlier this year, according to CNBC.

President Donald Trump has increasingly singled out Muslim politicians and communities to rally his base before election day, Axios reported. In Michigan, those attacks have focused on El-Sayed, while his former primary rival's objections over Israel have complicated efforts to unite Democrats.

On October 27, BBC Türkçe reported a backlash after Trump invoked September 11 while attacking El-Sayed and accusing him of being a jihadist. On October 28, CBS Top Stories reported that GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called El-Sayed a "jihadist leprechaun" and attempted to tie him to the Muslim Brotherhood at a campaign event outside Detroit.

The Democratic divisions also became public. On October 28, The Hill reported that Stevens's fiance would vote for Rogers rather than El-Sayed. The following day, Stevens said she still supported El-Sayed, describing theirs as "a household divided," according to The Hill.

By October 30, a joint Sunday appearance in Detroit offered a possible show of unity. But Stevens wanted El-Sayed to apologize for comments about Israel and disavow an ad she considered antisemitic, NYT Politics reported.

The dispute escalated on October 31. CBS Top Stories reported that Stevens demanded condemnation of an outside group's ad, while El-Sayed accused her of being "intent on relitigating" their primary. His campaign then told her to stay away from campaign events, including the planned Sunday appearance, according to The Hill.

On November 1, an advisor to Rep. Jim Clyburn said El-Sayed could not disinvite Stevens from the scheduled Detroit event, The Hill reported. Later Sunday, Stevens appeared with Rogers at a Detroit church service, according to Associated Press, and endorsed him, Politico reported.

Stevens's endorsement reverses her earlier public support for El-Sayed and ends the prospect of a united front between the former primary rivals. CNBC confirmed that she backed Rogers over the candidate who defeated her for the Democratic nomination.

El-Sayed remains ahead in recent polling, but the result is uncertain. Al Jazeera reported on November 1 that most recent polls gave him a lead of four to seven points, while the race remained rated a toss-up. Nearly $300 million has been spent on the contest, according to the same report.

Michigan voters decide on November 3. Al Jazeera reported that the result could hinge on a few thousand votes, making any movement among Democratic voters consequential. The available coverage does not establish how many voters, if any, will follow Stevens in backing Rogers.

The response among Muslim voters is another factor to watch. Al Jazeera reported that Muslim advocates were urging voters to answer the attacks on El-Sayed by electing him to the Senate.