Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) is in a bruising race against Abdul El-Sayed, the former director of Wayne County’s Dept. of Health, Human, and Veterans Services to be Democrat nominee for U.S. Senator in Michigan.
But she just made a strategic blunder.
She's been painting him as incredibly problematic, justifiably. She even said to him in a recent X post, "Everyone in America understands you want to blame all of your problems on Jewish Americans." If you truly think that, how could you then say you would support him?
Meanwhile, El-Sayed called her the "least capable candidate...picked" by AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee).
READ MORE: This Very Ugly Exchange Between El-Sayed and Stevens in MI Senate Race Is Likely to Help the GOP
Watch: Michigan Senate Debate Reveals Just How Bad Both Democrat Candidates Are
So this response that she made to MS NOW's Al Sharpton was something to see in that context.
Michigan Senate candidate Haley Stevens commits to supporting her opponent Abdul El-Sayed — who wants to defund the police and campaigns with Hasan Piker — if he wins the primary:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 1, 2026
"You bet…I am on the team, alright. And I am gonna link arms and do whatever’s needed.” pic.twitter.com/ItNw84TIfN
Now, you might endorse your opponent - after you lose.
But she gives him such a rousing endorsement. "You bet!" she says, saying she is "on the team," and "would link arms and do whatever was needed."
If you're a Michigan Democrat who thought you were voting for her because she was standing up to more radical leftist thought, that argument just went right out the window. It's all cool, in her mind, as long as Democrats get power; it apparently doesn't matter how extreme they get. It's also an indication that if she were to win, she probably would blow in the wind with whatever kept them in power.
She's behind in the polling, and she can't afford to lose votes. With that, she just lost some.
There is no real "moderate" Democrat - they're both bad. Heck, they're pretty much all bad with a couple of exceptions like Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA).
So if you're a moderate Democrat or independent, this was just a great big ad for the Republican, Mike Rogers. It's also a larger ad for how you can't count on Democrats to stand up for principle; they'll just fold like cheap cameras to the radicals they're letting eat them alive.
Meanwhile, four straight polls where El-Sayed hasn't had the lead. The latest has Rogers three points up. That's a bad sign for El-Sayed.
Michigan’s gold-standard pollster, EPIC-MRA, finds El-Sayed and Stevens posting roughly similar vote shares (43%-44%) against Rogers.
— Ellis Bates (@ElliscbIV) August 2, 2026
The difference is Rogers, who runs four points stronger against El-Sayed (46%-42%). That’s four straight polls without an El-Sayed lead. https://t.co/JZdfZBmHbB
Democrats have gotten complacent. It's one of the reasons the Democratic Socialists have been having an easier time of it.
The last time a Republican won a Senate seat in Michigan was 1994.
It may be about time for it to happen again.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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