El-Sayed shrugs off Rep. Steven’s endorsement of his GOP opponent in Michigan Senate race

By Seth McLaughlin and Susan Ferrechio - The Washington Times - Sunday, November 1, 2026

DETROIT — Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday blew off the news that his former Democratic primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, endorsed Republican nominee Mike Rogers.

“None of this matters,” Mr. El-Sayed told reporters crammed around the entrance to the Northend Church of God, where he was holding a “Souls to the Polls” event that Ms. Stevens was initially supposed to attend.

Mr. El-Sayed’s appearance there with other top Democrats was part of a final push to rally Black voters, a crucial constituency in his race against Mr. Rogers.

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But reporters asked him about Ms. Stevens’ decision to back his opponent, which followed his own move to shoo her from his unity event.

He called Ms. Haley’s endorsement “just a distraction” and told reporters not to ask him questions about it.

“At the end of the day, I actually don’t think of Haley Stevens,” Mr. El-Sayed said, when reporters persisted on the topic. “I think about the 9,999,998 people who are not those two. Because you know what? I’m just less interested in the politics of it all than I am in the policy of it all.”

Hours earlier, Ms. Stevens shocked her party by endorsing Mr. Rogers, who is running neck-and-neck in the polls with Mr. El-Sayed. In a social media post declaring her support for the GOP nominee, she cited “hate” coming from Mr. El-Sayed’s campaign.

The two Democrats have been feuding over Mr. El-Sayed’s anti-Israel positions and his association with far-left streamer and self-identified anti-Zionist Hasan Piker, who has said he hates America.

Ms. Stevens appeared with Mr. Rogers at Sunday services in Detroit’s Perfecting Church.

Appearing with Mr. Rogers after the service, Ms. Stevens defended her endorsement and said she had been booed off the stage at Democratic events with Mr. El-Sayed. She pointed out that Mr. El-Sayed disinvited her from the Democratic unity event across town.

“My vote for Senate is going to be with Mike Rogers, and I will tell you why. Because we have to stand with country. We can’t stand with hate. We can’t stand with Hasan Piker,” Ms. Stevens said.

• Susan Ferrechio reported from Fort Worth, Texas.