US midterms live: Democrat Stevens endorses el-Sayed’s rival in Senate race

The race for Michigan's US Senate seat took a stunning turn on Sunday when Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens endorsed Republican candidate Mike Rogers — just days after she had pledged to back her former primary rival, Abdul El-Sayed.

Stevens, defeated by El-Sayed in the Democratic primary, appeared alongside Rogers in Detroit on November 1. The about-face came only days after Stevens had gone on record saying she would vote for El-Sayed, campaign with him, and throw the whole weight of her coalition behind him.

The Democratic establishment reacted with fury. DNC chair Ken Martin called the endorsement a 'betrayal' of the party's values, while Senate leader Chuck Schumer blasted it as a 'despicable betrayal'. Virgie Rollins, chair of the DNC's Black Caucus, said Stevens had 'revealed herself to be a sellout who used Black Michiganders for a political stunt', adding that 'Mike Rogers is a shill for Trump and has failed Michigan'.

A former colleague, speaking anonymously, called Stevens 'unstable' and suggested her decision was prompted by her fiance, prominent lawyer Jason Turkish, endorsing Rogers days earlier.

El-Sayed was dismissive. 'I actually don't care about Haley Stevens,' he said while appearing alongside Black lawmakers and local leaders, insisting he did not need her support and reiterating his opposition to sending US taxpayer money to fund foreign wars.

The US president, by contrast, praised Stevens, calling her move 'a thing called bravery' and claiming few had loyalty to Michigan like she had just displayed.

The endorsement injects fresh drama into Tuesday's midterm elections, in which all 435 House seats and 35 of the Senate's 100 seats are being contested.