Democrats rally behind El-Sayed after Stevens endorses Republican rival

Democratic leaders rallied behind Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Monday after Representative Haley Stevens, whom he defeated in the party’s primary, endorsed his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, days before the midterm elections.

Stevens announced her support for Rogers on Sunday, intensifying a dispute with El-Sayed over U.S. support for Israel. The Michigan contest is among the Senate races drawing close attention as Democrats try to take control of Congress from Republicans. Voters will decide all 435 House seats, 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats and governorships in 36 states on Tuesday.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called Stevens’ endorsement a “despicable betrayal” and said Senate Democrats remained united behind El-Sayed. He said El-Sayed would fight for Michigan working families, while describing Rogers as “a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors.” Schumer also condemned what he called “racist, Islamophobic, and over-the-top false attacks” on the nominee.

Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel said Stevens had abandoned the priorities she had claimed to support and accused her of trying to divide the party. “She does not speak for that larger community,” Hertel told CNN, according to Al Jazeera. The advocacy group Michigan Jews for Democracy also backed El-Sayed, saying Stevens did not speak for Michigan’s Jewish community, Al Jazeera reported.

Stevens lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed in August. Their disagreement has centered on Israel: El-Sayed opposes U.S. military support for it, while Stevens has accused him of antisemitism over his criticism of Israeli actions in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.

El-Sayed said a vote for Rogers “is going to be a vote for Donald Trump.” Trump, by contrast, praised Stevens at a Sunday rally in Iowa, saying he would “love” to see her join the Republican Party. “Haley said what few people are willing to say,” Trump said. “It’s a thing called bravery.”

At the same rally, Trump repeatedly called El-Sayed, a Muslim, a “jihadist” and said Congress would have to “get a special metal detector for Abdul” if he won, The Guardian reported. The newspaper also reported that Senator Bernie Sanders urged Democrats to unite behind El-Sayed, while New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused Stevens of betraying working-class voters.

In another Senate contest, a federal judge dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying a loss by Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. The administration argued that another candidate on the ballot with the same name could affect the result, according to Al Jazeera. Sullivan told CNN he would accept the election outcome.

Early voting has already exceeded the total recorded before the 2022 midterms. About 54.5 million people had voted by Sunday morning, including 30 million in person and 24 million by mail, according to a University of Florida analysis cited by Al Jazeera. The outlet reported that about 46 million voted early in 2022. Early turnout does not indicate which candidates voters supported.

Separately, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, 53, was hospitalized after suffering a stroke, The Guardian reported. His chief of staff said he experienced arm numbness while attending his son’s hockey game on Saturday.