Rep. Haley Stevens is facing backlash from Black Democratic leaders after endorsing Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's U.S. Senate race and appearing alongside him at a predominantly Black church in Detroit just days before Election Day.
According to EEW Magazine, Stevens attended a Sunday (November 1) service at Perfecting Church on Detroit's east side with Rogers and his wife before publicly endorsing the Republican about an hour later.
Stevens, who lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, had originally been scheduled to attend a separate Detroit church service with him and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) as part of a planned Democratic unity appearance.
Before entering Perfecting Church, Stevens spoke about supporting investment in Black-owned businesses, adding that it was a policy Rogers would pursue.
Her appearance drew criticism from Democratic leaders and social media users, with some accusing her of using the church and its predominately Black congregation as political props.
In a video announcing her endorsement Sunday (November 1), Stevens said El-Sayed told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign.
“Our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away. And he's right,” Stevens said. She then announced her support for Rogers.
Stevens’ longtime chief of staff, Justin German, resigned Sunday, along with several other members of her team, according to EEW.
In a statement, German said they were “shocked and heartbroken” by Stevens' decision and reaffirmed their support for El-Sayed.
During an interview with MS NOW Sunday, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams accused Stevens of using Black people as “a prop in order to pursue an agenda of sore loser-ness.”
Abrams also questioned why Stevens chose to make the endorsement at a Black church alongside Rogers, whom she criticized for supporting abortion restrictions.
“If she wanted to make a private decision, she could do that on Tuesday in the booth,” Abrams said. “She held a press conference, went to a Black church and stood next to a man who's tried to strip women of their bodily autonomy.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) also condemned Stevens in a video shared on social media, invoking Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s criticism of white moderates in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
“You've chosen a white supremacist order and then have the audacity to use Black people as a prop and as a shield for your ignorance,” Pressley said.
Virgie Rollins, chair of the Democratic National Committee's Black Caucus, also accused Stevens of using Black Michiganders for a “political stunt.”
“Congresswoman Stevens has lost her way, and Michiganders know that Mike Rogers is a shill for Trump and has failed Michigan,” Rollins said in a statement.
The Michigan Democratic Party and several other Democratic leaders also criticized Stevens’ endorsement.
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