Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers in Senate race spat
Former congresswoman Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic Senate nomination to Abdul El-Sayed, publicly endorsed Republican candidate Mike Rogers days before the midterm election, citing a rift with her own party's nominee.
BBC World
A Democrat in Michigan has endorsed the Republican candidate in the state's closely fought US Senate contest, as a dispute with her own party's nominee escalated just days before the vote.
Haley Stevens, a former congresswoman who lost the Democratic nomination to Abdul El-Sayed, made a surprise appearance alongside the Republican candidate Mike Rogers at a church on Sunday.
"I don't belong in Abdul's campaign," Stevens said in a video posted to X shortly after the appearance. "Who we are as Michiganders is not hate and is not what we are getting out from our Democratic nominee right now."
"That's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers," she said.
Stevens also said El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. The two had been scheduled to appear together at an event on Sunday, but El-Sayed reportedly asked her not to come.
The pair had clashed publicly over a campaign advert from a liberal group which blamed Israel for high food prices. El-Sayed criticised the advert and said he had nothing to do with its contents. He has not commented on Stevens's endorsement of his opponent.
The Michigan Senate race is considered by analysts to be one of the tightest in Tuesday's midterm elections, which will decide which party controls Congress for the next two years. It is one of a handful of battleground contests that will ultimately determine control of the Senate.