Stevens backs Republican Rogers, a former congressman, after backing El-Sayed

Clymer and Wild detailed Stevens’s pre-reversal assurances

Stevens sent progressive activist Charlotte Clymer a video of herself giving a mid-October speech supporting El-Sayed and added, “still stands—promise.” After Clymer reached out to share concern about the stakes of the race, Stevens wrote, “Just remember—I’m still a rep and navigating my people over tricky waters right now,” according to screenshots viewed by The Wall Street Journal. Stevens added, “anything I do on any campaign is all volunteer.”

Former Rep. Susan Wild (D., Pa.), who had once roomed with Stevens, said Stevens told friends in Saturday group texts that she would not endorse Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, and was sticking with El-Sayed. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D., Mich.) appeared on CNN on Saturday to say Stevens would vote for El-Sayed. Rumors among Michigan Democrats that Stevens might switch her endorsement later proved correct.

In September, writer Ray Wert recruited Stevens to put her name on an opinion piece criticizing Rogers and his candidacy. According to Wert, Stevens initially agreed to publish the piece but then backed out and did not let him submit it under her name. Wert is married to state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who came in third in the Democratic Senate primary after exiting the race.

The Wall Street Journal described Stevens as a moderate Democrat and a staunch supporter of Israel who narrowly lost the Democratic primary for Senate to El-Sayed. The outlet described El-Sayed as a progressive who had campaigned on Medicare for All, taxing billionaires and ending unconditional aid to Israel. Stevens endorsed El-Sayed’s candidacy after the primary, but their relationship remained strained, and Stevens privately signaled hesitation over the race.

Over less than three months, Stevens moved from criticizing El-Sayed to praising him and back to criticism, while her comments about Rogers, a former congressman, also changed. In February, she said Rogers “filled his campaign with bigots.” In June, she called his record on LGBTQ rights “repulsive,” and in August, she described him as a “rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s dangerous agenda.” As recently as Saturday, she sent a flurry of texts to allies saying she was still on team El-Sayed.

By the previous week, Stevens had asked El-Sayed to apologize for comments he made about Israel and to denounce an ad supporting him that was created by an outside group she described as antisemitic. El-Sayed said she was “relitigating a primary that ended three months ago.” Many Democrats privately feared that the dispute was at best a distraction and, at worst, a sign Stevens would withdraw her endorsement of El-Sayed. Michigan’s seat could be the deciding election in the contest for Senate control.

Late Sunday morning, Stevens appeared with Rogers at a church service and endorsed his Senate run at a press conference. Reporting on her public reversal, The Wall Street Journal described a 98-second social-media video in which Stevens criticized El-Sayed for recent rifts between them, said she was voting for Rogers and promised supporters she remained a “proud Democrat.” Stevens also published a video on X saying she was not welcome in El-Sayed’s campaign and could not back him any longer. The Wall Street Journal reported that the move stunned Democrats and blindsided her allies, staff and the Michigan Democratic Party.

The reaction was immediate. Stevens’s chief of staff, Justin German, announced his resignation along with other Stevens staffers; the team said it was “shocked and heartbroken” at her decision and reiterated support for El-Sayed. Stevens did not respond to a request for comment.

The Michigan Democratic Party said Stevens was no longer welcome as a member. Curtis Hertel, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, said Stevens “is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.” An official in the organization said her membership had lapsed and the party would not renew another application from her. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) called the reversal a “despicable betrayal.”

On CNN Sunday night, Stevens struggled to answer questions from Anderson Cooper about her last-minute switch during a 15-minute interview that included awkward pauses. Stevens attributed her decision to El-Sayed becoming “angrier and angrier.” She declined to answer whether she had told Democrats the day before that she would vote for El-Sayed.

Stevens said, “I had an opportunity to go to a church service and have a prayerful moment,” describing the event where she endorsed Rogers and attacked El-Sayed’s campaign. She continued, “It was a Sunday, it was very beautiful, it was about friendship—of which I have many incredible friends in the Democratic Party, and I care a lot about them.” By Sunday evening, after she told CNN that her decision was “a weight off my shoulders,” The Wall Street Journal characterized Stevens as a pariah in her own party. The outlet said her reversal showcased some of the Democratic Party’s deepest divisions and that the party badly needs to win Michigan to keep alive its chances of taking back the Senate.