USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 28 November 2018Haley Stevens Endorses Mike Rogers Over Abdul El-Sayed as Trump Invites Her to Join GOP
“He then branded Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim, as a ‘jihadist,’ continuing a line of a Islamophobic attacks against the progressive Democratic Senate nominee.”
“On Friday, Stevens demanded that El-Sayed denounce a controversial ad that blamed Michigan’s cost-of-living issues on U.S. aid to Israel.”
Photo: Phi Nguyen / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan Senate race. Trump invited Stevens to join the Republican Party after her endorsement.
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Stevens backs Rogers
Democrat Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race on Sunday, appearing alongside Rogers after Stevens said, "I don't belong in Abdul's campaign."
Stevens told reporters that "That's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers," as she stood alongside Rogers outside the church and described Abdul El-Sayed as making clear she was "not welcome in his campaign."
President Donald Trump praised Stevens for endorsing Republican Mike Rogers over her fellow Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and said, "I don't know Haley. I've never met Haley."
Trump added, "I'd love her to join the Republican Party actually," as the Michigan Senate contest headed into Tuesday's midterm elections.
The seat is currently held by a retiring Democrat and the last time a Republican was elected to this Senate seat was in 1994.
Feud, questions, and quotes
Haley Stevens faced tough questions after she flipped her endorsement from Abdul El-Sayed to Mike Rogers, and CNN said she told Anderson Cooper her backing of the Republican is "rock solid" while refusing to explain her switch. El-Sayed told reporters, "At the end of the day, I don't think about Haley Stevens," and he said, "None of this matters." A number of Stevens' fellow Democrats condemned her decision as a "despicable betrayal," and Chuck Schumer called the endorsement a "despicable betrayal."
Trump, speaking in Iowa, branded El-Sayed, a Muslim, as a "jihadist" and mused, "Can you imagine, we'll have to put him through metal detectors…" El-Sayed responded by telling reporters, "I’ll go through a metal detector if you’ll sit for a lie detector."
What is at stake
The Michigan Senate race is considered one of the tightest in Tuesday's midterm elections and it is one of a handful of battleground contests that will ultimately decide control of the Senate. The party is hoping to regain control of the Senate in Tuesday's elections but will need a net gain of four seats to do so. Americans vote on Tuesday to choose the holders of 35 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, with Republicans holding a slender majority in both chambers.
If Democrats control one chamber, they could obstruct Trump’s legislative agenda in the last two years of his term and open investigations into his administration. Stevens said she will be "voting for Democrats up and down" her ballot even after endorsing Mike Rogers, and she called the decision a "weight off my shoulders."