Exhibiting a stunning rejection of leftist Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, Rep. Haley Stevens (D–Mich.) has unexpectedly endorsed Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate, in the Michigan Senate race.
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Stevens → exhibit → race
Her announcement, posted to X on Sunday afternoon, followed days of escalating hostilities with El-Sayed, who defeated Stevens in the Democratic Senate primary.
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who → post → primary
She initially endorsed her fellow Democrat, but then Stevens' fiance, Jason Turkish, stated last week he could not vote for El-Sayed, citing the candidate's insufficient distance from Hasan Piker, Cenk Uygur, and other unrelenting progressive critics of Israel.
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he → endorse → Israel
That prompted El-Sayed to disinvite Stevens from all future campaign events; Rogers clearly sensed an opportunity, and secured Stevens' support after reaching out to her.
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Rogers → prompt → her
"Our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Abdul said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and I should stay away, and he's right," said Stevens on X.
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Stevens → say → X.
"And that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today.
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I → endorse → Senate
I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today.
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I → endorse → Senate
— Haley Stevens (@HaleyforMI) November 1, 2026
Unsurprisingly, Democrats are furious—and are roundly denouncing her as a traitor.
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Democrats → denounce → traitor
Her congressional staff is resigning en masse, apparently blindsided by the reversal.
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staff → resign → reversal
Even moderate liberal commentators who had preferred Stevens over El-Sayed in the primary are furious with her.
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who → prefer → her
Neera Tanden, a Democratic consultant who often feuds with the left-wing of her party, accused Stevens of betraying "all of her supporters."
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who → feud → supporters
Activist David Hogg wrote that everyone who had backed Stevens over El-Sayed should apologize and condemn her.
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who → write → her
Commentator Matthew Yglesias wrote that he was very mad at Stevens.
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he → write → Stevens
This strikes me as a bit much, to be honest.
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This → strike → bit
Yes, it matters a great deal which party controls the Senate, and thus individual races have extremely high stakes.
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races → matter → stakes
Pro-Trump Americans want Republican majorities to protect them from bad Democratic policies, and anti-Trump Americans want the reverse.
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Americans → want → reverse
The country's extremely defective two-party system, in which we are constantly called upon to compromise our own personal values and select the lesser of two evils, is on full display here.
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we → call → display
But for everyone slamming Stevens as some kind of traitor should know this: Unshakeable, ironclad loyalty to one's own political party is not really a virtue.
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loyalty → slam → party
I would much prefer to live under a system in which Republicans and Democrats were more likely to buck their own parties and say that supporting such and such a person is outside the bounds of what can reasonably be expected.
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what → prefer → bounds
It's encouraging that Karl Rove has refused to vote for Bo French, the nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner and an unapologetic anti-Indian racist.
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Rove → refuse → Commissioner
It would be better for the country if more Republicans followed his example—and if they similarly punished their Senate nominee, the manifestly corrupt Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
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they → follow → nominee
El-Sayed does not appear to be corrupt or racist, and some of the allegations of anti-Semitism leveled against him are unfair: Criticisms of the government of Israel are not synonymous with attacks on Jewish people.
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Criticisms → appear → people
That said, he is an extremely far-left political candidate—a socialist in all but name—who thought it was a good idea to campaign with Piker, a communist sympathizer with a long track record of evincing support for terrorist groups.
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it → say → groups
El-Sayed previously derided President Barack Obama, who enacted an extremely progressive policy agenda, as "fairly centrist, middle-of-the-road."
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who → deride → road
Democratic primary voters are free to pick leftists to be their candidates, but normal Democrats should not feel bound by those choices.
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Democrats → pick → choices
Socialism, even socialism-lite, should always be viewed as a bridge too far, because it is a ruinous ideology that produces poverty and authoritarianism.
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that → view → poverty
Now it's true that Stevens appears to be doing this largely for reasons of personal spite rather than some ideological opposition to his economic agenda, so I wouldn't exactly nominate her for a Profiles in Courage Award.
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I → appear → Award
But the tendency to lash out at political figures who exercise a degree of independence and brand them as traitors is melodramatic at best.
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who → lash → traitors
As for El-Sayed: He is running well behind the Democratic Party's gubernatorial nominee, Jocelyn Benson, which suggests that Stevens is not the only Michigan Democrat feeling uncomfortable about him.
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Stevens → run → him
We will find out on Tuesday (or maybe Wednesday morning).
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We → find → Tuesday
The Aporia
