Abdul El-Sayed criticizes Haley Stevens's fiancé for endorsing Mike Rogers

Abdul El‑Sayed, the former Detroit health official now running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, on Monday pushed back after Rep. Haley Stevens’s fiancé publicly endorsed his Republican rival, former Rep. Mike Rogers. “I’m building a movement to take on the challenges that Donald Trump is facing. If folks have issues that are more important to them than that, that’s fine,” El‑Sayed said in a campaign video posted to social media.

The endorsement comes as the Democratic primary for the open Senate seat tightens. The race, set for Aug. 6, pits El‑Sayed against Stevens, Rep. Elissa Slotkin and other candidates. Democrats are scrambling to consolidate support after a crowded field left the party split on policy and strategy. Rogers, a former congressman who served the Flint‑area district, is the leading Republican on the ballot and has been courting moderate Democrats disenchanted with the party’s direction. Stevens’s fiancé, a Republican donor with ties to the state party, announced his support for Rogers last week, a move that surprised many in the Democratic camp and raised questions about loyalty within the Stevens campaign.

Polls show the Democratic field trailing Rogers by a narrow margin, with Slotkin currently leading the primary but El‑Sayed still holding a solid base among progressive voters. El‑Sayed’s response aims to defuse any perception that the endorsement could sway his supporters. He reiterated his focus on health equity, climate action and curbing the influence of former President Donald Trump’s agenda. Campaign aides said the team will double down on grassroots outreach in Detroit and the Upper Peninsula ahead of the primary. If El‑Sayed can maintain his momentum, the endorsement may have little effect, but it underscores the fragile nature of Democratic unity in a state that could decide the Senate balance of power. The primary results on Aug. 6 will determine whether the party can rally behind a single candidate to face Rogers in the general election.