Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens explained her decision to change her endorsement to the Republican in the Michigan Senate race as a matter of "conscience," but Democratic leaders dismissed her as one vote in a state of millions where her candidate would lose.
Stevens caused a splash Nov. 1 when she withdrew her endorsement of Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who beat her in the primary, and supported Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers.
But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, told reporters Nov. 3 that El-Sayed would win because he talked about issues that resonated with voters, such as the high cost of living. Last-minute polls showed El-Sayed ahead of Rogers.
The Michigan contest
is among the most closely watched nationwide because both parties are fighting for control of the Senate, which Republicans lead with a 53-47 majority. Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring from the seat, so a Rogers win would be an advantage for Republicans.
State Democratic Party leaders ousted Stevens after her flip-flop on the endorsement. But she said she remained a "proud Democrat" who believes in a woman’s right to abortion, in organized labor and in "making government work for ordinary people."
Stevens explained in a nearly 900-word post on social media that she disagrees with Rogers "on many things" but she concluded El-Sayed "is not fit to serve in the United States Senate."
She focused her criticism of El-Sayed on a couple of ads. One from an outside group tied the high cost of groceries to America’s support for Israel, she said. The other from El-Sayed’s campaign featured conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson, who Stevens said has no place in a Democratic campaign.
She also criticized El-Sayed for campaigning with Hasan Piker, a controversial Twitch streamer and political commentator.
Stevens said her change of endorsement "was not impulsive, and it was not made for me by anyone else."
"It was a decision of conscience," said Stevens, who called speculation that her fiancé influenced her position as "sexism dressed up as political analysis."
President Donald Trump encouraged Stevens to become a Republican after what he called a brave choice.
El-Sayed didn’t comment directly on Stevens' change of endorsement but he had asked her not to campaign with him before her announcement. He told reporters Oct. 31 that "the kind of division that we've seen in our politics right now is really quite ugly."
Schumer told reporters after voting Nov. 3 that millions of Michiganders are listening to El-Sayed rather than Stevens because he talks about lowering costs for gasoline and health care.
"The bottom line is very simple: She’s one vote," Schumer said. "Abdul El-Sayed is talking to the people about those issues and doing things about them. Millions of Michiganders are listening to him. He is going to win tonight because he is talking about what Michiganders care about."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stevens explains Michigan Senate endorsement, Dems say El-Sayed will win
