Rep. Haley Stevens lost key aides after endorsing Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race, a break her longtime chief called shocking as Democrats fracture.
Staffers for Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) are resigning after the congresswoman endorsed former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) in the state’s competitive Senate contest, The Hill reported.
Longtime chief of staff Justin German said many members of the team quit, including himself. The communications director left the office as of November 1. German had worked with Stevens for eight years.
The resignations hit as progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed runs as the party’s Senate nominee against Rogers. Party unity is already strained in Michigan over Israel and other flashpoints, including the fracture over an Israel ad near the vote.
German’s statement, first shared by CNN, made the scale of the walkout plain.
Justin German stated:
"Many members of our team have resigned, including myself."
He did not hide the reason.
German added:
"We are shocked and heartbroken by Congresswoman Stevens’s decision to support Mike Rogers,"
He closed by urging voters to back El-Sayed and Democrats “up and down the ballot” and “stand up for the America we all believe in.”
An automated email reply from the former communications director was just as direct: “Hello, as of November 1st I am no longer with the Office of Congresswoman Haley Stevens.”
Stevens defended the endorsement at a press conference. She framed it as her own call and insisted she remains loyal to Democrats while finishing her term.
Rep. Haley Stevens said:
"It's my personal and private decision. I still love the party. I've done a ton for the party. I've voted for the party over and over and over again. I'm going to continue to do that as I fill out my term,"
She said the decision came in response to “hate” and El-Sayed’s ties to political streamer Hasan Piker. The reporting does not detail the full list of specific incidents she had in mind.
That same progressive lane has drawn national figures. Ocasio-Cortez has hit the Michigan trail for El-Sayed, underscoring how far left the nominee’s coalition sits from a centrist House Democrat willing to cross party lines.
Before the endorsement became public fallout, Stevens was slated to appear alongside El-Sayed on Sunday. Sources familiar with the matter said the Democratic nominee then dropped her from the campaign event.
The sequence is clear enough. Stevens was on the program. She endorsed Rogers. The joint appearance was canceled. Staff resignations followed, with German’s statement landing as of Sunday morning.
Party leaders have already flagged problems with El-Sayed’s record on Israel. Pelosi has said El-Sayed’s Israel stances are wrong and do not speak for Democrats, another sign the nominee sits outside the party’s mainstream.
Rogers, a former Republican congressman from Michigan, is the GOP nominee in a race both parties treat as competitive. A sitting Democratic House member putting her name behind him is rare in a polarized Senate map.
The endorsement also lands against a backdrop of sharp debate exchanges. Rogers has pressed El-Sayed on loyalty and ties to terror-linked groups, keeping character and national security in the foreground.
National Democrats have still lined up behind the nominee. Plans have included high-profile help, with Obama set to rally with El-Sayed even as local staff for a Michigan Democrat quit over the same race.
German’s eight years with Stevens did not survive the Rogers endorsement. The communications shop is gone as of November 1. “Many members” of the team are out. Stevens says she will finish her term and keep voting with Democrats. She has not withdrawn the endorsement.
El-Sayed’s campaign chose distance on the Sunday event. Stevens chose Rogers. Her own aides chose the door.
When a Democratic member’s staff resigns rather than defend a cross-party Senate endorsement, voters get a clean look at how far the party’s left flank has pulled the center, and what it costs when someone finally says no.
