The decision by Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., to endorse Republican Senate-nominee Mike Rogers was apparently a sudden change of heart, and tied to the Abdul El-Sayed campaign stay-away order this weekend.
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decision → endorse → order
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said Stevens told her Saturday night that reports of an impending Rogers endorsement were not accurate.
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reports → say → endorsement
"It's very hard," Dingell told local FOX 2 on Sunday night.
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Dingell → tell → night
"Haley Stevens told me at midnight last night this was all a rumor and was not true."
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this → tell → midnight
Five hours later, Stevens was standing shoulder to shoulder with Rogers at a Detroit church service.
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Stevens → stand → service
"She texted me at 7:45, watching you on MS NOW, heart, heart," Dingell continued.
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Dingell → texte → MS
"And by the way, I talked to her.
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I → talk → her
Look, I'm just upset.
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I → look → ?
It's sad, but I don't want to be distracted anymore."
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I → want → ?
The Detroit church event was intended to bring unity for El-Sayed's campaign, because Stevens had won the Black vote, but instead, after being told by the Democratic nominee to stay away she unified with Rogers.
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she → intend → Rogers
"We got a phone call this morning and, you know, there's been a lot of unfortunate activity, I think," Rogers told FOX 2 Detroit.
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Rogers → get → FOX
"Abdul discarded Haley Stevens, was rude to Haley Stevens, has been rude, I think, to many in the African-American community.
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I → discard → community
At least that's what they're telling me.
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they → tell → me
And I think this just boiled over when he dis-invited her to the campaign event that was supposed to happen today.
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that → think → event
Rogers welcomed the early November surprise with just two days to go before Tuesday's Election Day in a race that could flip the Democrat Senate seat red and help President Donald Trump's party keep control of the upper chamber.
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party → welcome → chamber
"I think she picked up the phone today after having lots of, apparently, conversations with a lot of people and picked up a phone and said, 'Hey, I heard you’re going to church, you want some company?'" Rogers added.
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Rogers → think → company
"And so that was, I mean, we were very welcome for her, I’m very welcome to have her support.
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I → mean → support
The unity event became divisive for the former Democratic Senate primary combatants after Stevens called on El-Sayed to condemn an outside group’s ad that she said blamed Israel for high grocery prices.
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she → become → prices
Stevens' fiancé Jason Turkish, a Democratic donor and Jewish lawyer, said earlier in the week that he was going to vote for Rogers, raising concern from El-Sayed's campaign and other Democrats.
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he → say → campaign
El-Sayed’s campaign then asked Stevens to skip his events through Election Day to avoid distracting from the race, sources said.
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sources → ask → race
In a social media video, Stevens said, "I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign."
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I → say → campaign
Rogers said Democrats were "veering off into the virulent hate" directed at a group of people, while Stevens’ mother, Maria Marcotte, told Reuters her daughter was concerned about rhetoric she believed frightened constituents.
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she → say → constituents
Despite the rift, El-Sayed’s campaign said it raised $1.2 million in the four hours after Stevens’ endorsement, its second-best fundraising day since the August primary.
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it → say → primary
Fox News Power Rankings latest projection rates the race as a Toss Up.
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projection → rat → Up
Republicans currently hold a 53–47 Senate majority.
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Republicans → hold → majority
While midterm election history tends to deliver power back to the party in the minority, Trump and Republicans have put added emphasis on retaining Senate control to hold back what is expected to become a Democrat-controlled House.
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what → tend → control
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Reuters → contribute → report
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