A political 'betrayal' has surfaced on the eve of the US midterm elections, with Democrat Haley Stevens ditching her party's popular nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, and endorsing Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race.
Stevens' shock move has triggered major reactions from both corners, led by President Donald Trump, who called it "a big move" and "a smart thing to do".
The Senate Democratic Leader, Chuck Schumer, called it a "despicable betrayal". "Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed, because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors," Schumer posted on X.
Working class people’s lives are on the ballot on Tuesday—their healthcare, their rent, their bills. Haley Stevens just betrayed them by endorsing the very Republican she said she wanted to run against.
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) November 1, 2026
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lashed out at Stevens by saying she betrayed the working-class people by "endorsing the very Republican she said she wanted to run against".
Popular British journalists Mehdi Hasan and Piers Morgan also used harsh words to describe Stevens jumping ship at the eleventh hour. "What an absolute charlatan," Morgan posted on X.
"Three days ago, Stevens said she was voting for El-Sayed. I hate politicians who switch sides at the last minute before elections. And everyone else always ends up hating them too. Just the ultimate political treachery," Morgan said.
Hasan questioned, "How on earth did the Dem (Democratic) establishment put her forward as their candidate?"
"A complete traitor to their party and now an enabler of Trump? There needs to be a lot of soul-searching among centrist former Stevens supporters," Hasan posted on X.
Stevens was defeated by El-Sayed in the Democratic primaries, which are inter-party elections held to choose a candidate for the main election. The Democratic party seat for Michigan had fell vacant after Gary Peters chose not to seek re-election.
Initially, Stevens backed El-Sayed, but their relationship deteriorated, mainly on the issue of Israel and Gaza. Stevens has backed the US support for Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza, while El-Sayed has been a staunch advocate for ending US military aid to the Benjamin Netanyahu government.
El-Sayed's popularity grew in the run-up to the midterms, with former President Barack Obama campaigning heavily for him. As of November 1, pre-poll surveys, including those released by popular pollsters CNN/SSRS and NYT/Siena, had put El-Sayed ahead of Rogers, on polling averages ranging from 3.5 to 7.1 points. If he wins, El-Sayed will become the first Muslim senator in US history.
Written by Arun George
