Stevens backs Republican Rogers in Michigan Senate race

Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate in Michigan on Sunday, less than 48 hours before the Nov. 3 vote, rejecting Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee who beat her in the primary, NPR reported.

“As you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away, and he’s right,” Stevens said in a video posted to social media. “And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate today.”

The switch pushed the race to more than 20,000 searches in Canada on Google Trends over the past day, with Stevens, El-Sayed and her fiance, Jason Turkish, among the related terms. Canadians have a direct stake: The Canadian Press reported that Trump’s trade war with Canada has become a ballot-box issue in the state.

Stevens appeared with Rogers at Perfecting Church in Detroit on Sunday. She said she does not stand with Hasan Piker, a streamer who campaigned with El-Sayed in the primary. NPR said El-Sayed tried to distance himself from Piker in August, after Piker implied that Jews’ support for Israel puts them at risk of personal violence, but stopped short of disavowing him.

CNBC reported that tension rose in recent days over an ad from Rebellion PAC showing a couple debating whether they could afford groceries because of U.S. support for Israel. El-Sayed’s campaign said it was not involved in or affiliated with the ad. NPR said tensions also accelerated after Turkish said he planned to vote for Rogers.

“I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens,” El-Sayed told reporters outside a Detroit church, CNBC reported. He said voters are focused on schools and paying their bills. “I’m sorry people are upset,” Stevens said at a news conference with Rogers. Michigan and national Democrats quickly rebuked her, The Canadian Press said.

The effect on the vote is unclear. CNN reported that its CNN/SSRS poll last week had El-Sayed ahead of Rogers by seven points, while the Rogers campaign says its candidate is leading. CNBC said the outcome could decide which party holds the Senate, where Republicans have a slim majority.

The Canadian Press reported that the 25 per cent U.S. tariff on vehicles finished in Canada, which Trump has threatened to raise to 50 per cent next year, has left the auto industry struggling on both sides of the border. Multiple polls have found that most people in Michigan, regardless of party, disapprove of the tariffs on Canada, CP said.

The delayed opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge and the drop in Canadian visitors have also been campaign issues, according to CP. Rogers, backed by Trump, ran an ad last month in which he drinks a Labatt beer and says, “Canada is not our enemy.” El-Sayed has called the trade war nonsensical.

We earlier reported on how tariffs shaped the Michigan race. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Trump spoke about trade on the weekend, and no agreement was expected before the midterms. El-Sayed defeated Stevens in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary.

Sources: NPR, CNBC, The Canadian Press, CNN.

If you find reporting like this useful, consider supporting Canada News Media, an independent Canadian newsroom with no corporate parent.