House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries blasted Rep. Haley Stevens after her bombshell endorsement of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers—a complete reversal from her support for Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed in a critical race that could determine control of the chamber.
“Haley Stevens made a terrible decision, blindsided everyone and isolated herself from the House Democratic Caucus,” Jeffries said, according to Politico congressional reporter Riley Rogerson. “We will have a discussion about appropriate next steps upon our return.”
Joining him was Sen. Chuck Schumer, who posted on X that the move was a “despicable betrayal.”
“Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed, because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors,” Schumer wrote.
Stevens, who has represented a suburban Detroit district since 2019, was once Schumer’s pick, endorsed by the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, and backed by AIPAC. She announced the decision in an online post on Nov. 1, stating she was no longer welcome in El-Sayed’s campaign. The two had previously sparred over Stevens’ demand that El-Sayed disavow an outside group’s political ad regarding the war in Gaza, and Stevens was advised not to appear with him at further campaign events to avoid distractions.
El-Sayed and Stevens clashed repeatedly over several topics, primarily Israeli military action in Gaza. She also criticized El-Sayed for previously campaigning with left-wing activist Hasan Piker, who has faced allegations of antisemitism.
Although Stevens pledged her support for El-Sayed almost immediately after losing the Michigan primary to him in August, she abandoned that stance and appeared Sunday with Rogers at Detroit’s Perfecting Church, which has a predominantly Black congregation, then publicly endorsed Rogers.
Her endorsement of Rogers is a late-stage shocker as Democrats seek a path to a Senate majority. Needing at least four seats to gain control from Republicans, the two parties are battling across multiple states, including Texas, Florida, Kansas, Alaska, Maine, and Iowa.
Jeffries noted that while his primary focus has been on Democrats regaining control of the House of Representatives—which would likely put him on a course to become House Speaker—he remains supportive of El-Sayed. “I’ve been in 15 different states or so in the last 30 days and dozens of districts. At the end of the day, we need to make sure that Abdul and every single Senate Democratic candidate in a close race prevails,” Jeffries said, according to CBS News.
Meanwhile, Schumer and Jeffries face growing criticism and calls to take decisive action regarding Stevens’ endorsement.
“Haley Stevens endorsing a Trump-backed Republican over Abdul El-Sayed is a betrayal of the voters she claims to represent,” Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, said in a statement. “Schumer’s condemnation is welcome, but it is too little, too late. This is further proof that he cannot meet the moment and should step aside as leader.”
“It is also necessary for Hakeem Jeffries to address Stevens’s betrayal directly,” Geevarghese added. “Too often, he reserves his strongest condemnation for progressives who demand tougher action against corporations, billionaires, and powerful donors, while showing far less fire toward Democrats who side with Republicans. What accountability will a member of his caucus face for helping elect one?”
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel added in a statement that Rogers was “a corrupt politician looking out only for himself.”
“Haley Stevens’ decision to campaign with Rogers—a man who has repeatedly sold out Michigan’s working class, wants to pass a national abortion ban, and has pledged to be a loyal vote for Trump’s agenda—shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about,” Hertel said. “We reject the attempts by Stevens and bad-faith actors to divide our party and undermine our momentum, and we will not allow these eleventh-hour distractions to deter us.”
