Haley Stevens' Staff Resigns After Rogers Endorsement

Much of the congressional staff to U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens resigned Sunday after the Democrat endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for U.S. Senate.

Stevens' former chief of staff Justin German described the shocking move as heartbreaking.

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"As Haley Stevens' Chief of Staff for eight years, I speak on behalf of our team in wholeheartedly supporting Abdul El-Sayed for Senate," German said. "As of this morning, many members of our team have resigned, including myself. We encourage everyone to exercise their civic duty, vote for Abdul and Democrats up and down the ballot, and stand up for the America we all believe in."

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel also criticized Stevens' surprise decision.

"Haley Stevens' decision to campaign with Rogers—a man who has repeatedly sold out Michigan's working class, wants to pass a national abortion ban, and has pledged to be a loyal vote for Trump's agenda—shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about," Hertel said.

Stevens' decision to endorse Rogers comes amid a rift with Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who defeated the congresswoman by a slim margin in the August primary.

Despite their differences, Stevens initially stood with El-Sayed after the primary in a sign of Democratic unity.

However, she recently demanded El-Sayed apologize for an ad blaming Israeli aid for high grocery prices. The ad was from a political action committee.

El-Sayed accused Stevens of relitigating the primary and told her to stay away from his campaign. The two were actually set to appear together in Detroit before the fallout.

Despite the fracture, Michigan Democratic Party First Vice Chair Portia Roberson said the party is united behind El-Sayed in Tuesday's election.

"Disagreements inside our party are settled at the ballot box, and they were," Roberson said. "On Tuesday, Michigan Democrats are voting for Abdul El-Sayed."