El-Sayed shrugs off Democratic rival's endorsement of Republican Rogers

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday brushed aside the surprise defection of former primary opponent Haley Stevens to his Republican rival, declaring the endorsement irrelevant to voters facing economic pressures ahead of Tuesday's midterm election.

El-Sayed shrugs off Stevens' defection

El-Sayed told reporters he pays little attention to Stevens, who endorsed Republican former Representative Mike Rogers following their August primary clash. "At the end of the day, I actually don't think about Haley Stevens," he said, dismissing the political fallout from her crossover move. The candidate emphasized his focus on constituents rather than party infighting, adding: "I'm a lot more focused on the 9,999,998 that are not the ones you guys are talking about."

Democratic backlash over crossover endorsement

Stevens' endorsement triggered immediate resignations among her campaign staff and drew sharp condemnation from Democratic leadership, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who denounced the move as a betrayal while reaffirming party support for El-Sayed. The former primary rivals had clashed publicly over an outside political action committee advertisement concerning US aid to Israel. Such a cross-party endorsement by a sitting national lawmaker remains highly unusual in American politics, particularly during a hotly contested Senate race to determine the successor to retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters.

Historic candidacy faces faith-based attacks

The Michigan contest has drawn national scrutiny as El-Sayed seeks to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate, a milestone that has coincided with Rogers publicly criticizing the Democratic nominee's faith. El-Sayed's supporters have denounced Rogers' remarks as Islamophobic while the Republican continues to target El-Sayed's religious identity on the campaign trail.