BREAKING: Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers for US Senate

"As you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for US Senate Abdul said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away, and he's right, and that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,” Stevens said.

Stevens went on to criticize El-Sayed for his association with far-left political streamer Hasan Piker, saying that his rhetoric does not represent Michigan voters.

“I don't belong in Abdul's campaign. I do not stand with Hasan Piker, who gets trafficked on our college campuses,” Stevens said. “A dear friend of mine earlier today was saying that education is on the ballot, and she's absolutely right. And what our students see, what our children see, and who we are as Michiganders is not hate, and is not what we are getting out from our Democratic nominee right now."

Prior to the endorsement, Stevens was seen alongside Rogers at a Detroit church on Sunday after being disinvited from a planned church event with El-Sayed. Stevens has been asked to stay away from El-Sayed’s remaining campaign events in the final days of the race amid an ongoing dispute between the two.

Stevens had recently pushed for El-Sayed to condemn an ad created by an outside group that linked US military support for Israel to rising grocery prices in the US, which she had called antisemitic. El-Sayed responded by accusing Stevens of "relitigating a primary that ended three months ago.”

On Friday, Rogers defended Stevens for calling on El-Sayed to denounce the ad, calling her a “courageous leader who deserves the respect of every Michigan voter.”

“She has conducted herself with nothing but class since the Democratic primary, a primary where a majority of voters did not vote for her party’s nominee,” Rogers said.

At a press conference on Sunday, Stevens stood alongside Rogers and affirmed her endorsement. The congresswoman called herself a “proud Democrat” but said she was endorsing Rogers after El-Sayed made it clear she was “not welcome” in his campaign.

“At some point, you gotta look at who’s standing for country,” Stevens said.

The endorsement raises the stakes in an already closely contested battle for the Michigan Senate seat. Stevens’ support for Rogers is likely to further jeopardize El-Sayed’s credibility among black and working-class liberal communities, among whom Stevens garnered more support during the Democratic Primary.

Earlier this week, an undercover recording released by The Midwesterner showed a black Michigan leader associated with Reverend Al Sharpton questioning El-Sayed’s credibility among black voters. Charles E. Williams II, president of the Michigan chapter of Sharpton's National Action Network, likened El-Sayed to a “snake oil” salesman and said that he supported Stevens during the primary.