Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, announced Sunday that she is backing Republican Mike Rogers in the state's U.S. Senate contest, according to The New York Times. The endorsement came after Stevens, who represents Detroit-area suburbs, appeared alongside Rogers at a church service. She made the announcement in a video posted to social media, saying, "I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today," and adding that she does not belong in the campaign of the Democratic nominee, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed.
The move lands in the final days of a race that could decide which party holds the Senate majority. Stevens lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed in August by a narrow margin, and the two have had a strained relationship since, largely over their differing positions on U.S. policy toward Israel.
Why it matters
Democrats are defending the Michigan seat while trying to pick up Senate seats in conservative states. The party's House prospects look stronger — strategists from both parties told The New York Times that Democrats are well positioned to retake the chamber — but Republicans have sought to capitalize on the Democratic split in Michigan to flip the Senate seat. Rising prices and President Trump's unpopularity have weighed on Republicans nationally, while the Senate overall is described as a tossup.
Fallout from the endorsement
Democratic reaction was sharp. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called the endorsement a "despicable betrayal," according to The New York Times. El-Sayed, speaking to reporters, dismissed it: "None of this matters."
The sequence behind the announcement was messy. A plan to move past Stevens's recent criticism of El-Sayed fell apart over the weekend, and she instead attended the church service with Rogers — a candidate she had previously described as a rubber stamp for Trump's agenda. Politico reported that El-Sayed's campaign wants Stevens to stay away from the race following a day of exchanges between the two camps. CNN reported that Democrats were denouncing Stevens after her announcement.
President Trump praised what he called the bravery of Stevens's endorsement. He spent Sunday traveling to Iowa and Kansas, two conservative states that have become Senate battlegrounds, and was scheduled to speak at an afternoon rally in Dubuque, Iowa, before heading to Salina, Kansas. He carried both states by double-digit margins in 2024, but Democrats see an opening in voter discontent over the economy. In Iowa, Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson faces Democratic state lawmaker Josh Turek. In Kansas, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is defending his seat against the Rev. Adam Hamilton, a centrist Democrat.
Alaska ruling and a Senate hospitalization
Elsewhere, a federal judge in Alaska handed Democrats a win on Sunday by dismissing a Trump administration lawsuit that had pre-emptively challenged the results of the state's Senate race, The New York Times reported. The Justice Department said it intends to appeal.
The Alaska race has drawn attention because two candidates share the same first and last name: Republican incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and another man who could draw votes away from him. Sullivan told CNN's "State of the Union" that he would accept the outcome, while also suggesting without specifics that the election could be "stolen," and he urged Alaskans to vote. Asked by host Jake Tapper whether he would accept the results only if he won, Sullivan said, "No, I'm going to accept the election results."
The New York Times reported last week that the former campaign manager and then-chief of staff for Democratic challenger Mary Peltola, along with top aides at the Senate Democratic campaign arm, were involved in a plan to recruit Alaskans named Dan Sullivan to run as Republicans. Both the Peltola campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have denied taking part in efforts to recruit spoilers. The Times report did not find evidence of illegal activity. Trump, who had already directed the Justice Department to sue to block certification of a narrow Sullivan loss, demanded that Peltola be removed from the ballot after the report. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered an investigation last week into whether Peltola's campaign should face criminal charges.
Separately, Sen. Christopher Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, was hospitalized after a stroke, his chief of staff, Allison Herwitt, said in a statement. "We are optimistic he will make a full recovery," she said. Murphy, seen as a possible 2028 presidential contender, has been campaigning for Democrats around the country.
In California, voters are weighing a ballot proposition that would impose a one-time 5 percent tax on the wealth of residents worth more than $1.1 billion — a measure with potentially broad implications for how the U.S. taxes wealth.
What to watch: whether the Michigan dispute shifts late Senate spending or turnout, and how the Alaska appeal and investigation develop before Election Day.
