Midterm Shock: Defeated Democrat Backs GOP Before Election
She lost her race. Now she is crossing the aisle. Haley Stevens, the Democrat who narrowly lost her primary, is officially backing Republican Mike Rogers. This is a massive shift in a tight Senate race. Voters in Michigan are watching closely. The election is only eight days away.
Stevens was beaten by Abdul El-Sayed in a bitter primary. She told CNN she could not support him. She watched him get “angrier and angrier” as the campaign went on. She raised concerns about his views on Israel. She also criticized his ties to radical streamer Hasan Piker. According to the Daily Wire, she called his ad blaming U.S. military aid “fearmongering.” She said it was not a winning strategy.
Stevens says she is still a “proud Democrat.” But she wants her party to win. She told Anderson Cooper she only recently decided she could not back her former opponent. She wants Democrats to succeed at every level. That means keeping focus on lowering costs. It does not mean blaming the only Jewish homeland for high prices. She said, “Do we need to lower costs by building more homes, securing people’s health care, and creating a fairer federal tax code? Yes, we do!!”
She is not the only one switching sides. Former Rep. Hansen Clarke also backed Rogers. He posted a joint announcement with his wife, Choi Clarke. They stand with Stevens in supporting the Republican candidate. Clarke stated, “I served with Mike in the U.S. House of Representatives.” He is dedicated to enhancing our quality of life, safeguarding national security, and collaborating with Democrats to accomplish the task, I am certain.
While Democrats fight among themselves, Rogers has the cash. Breitbart reports that Rogers and his PACs have accepted contributions from no fewer than ten principal owners of major sports franchises. This is a huge gap in funding. Front Office Sports reports that El-Sayed got only two donations from the sports world. Neither came from a principal owner. The only two were from a pitcher and a minority owner.
The numbers are stark. Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, donated $100,000 to a Super PAC supporting Rogers. That group has spent over $20 million on ads in Michigan. Other owners gave big checks too. Dick and Dan DeVos gave $7,000 each. Jimmy Haslam gave $7,000. Michael Bidwill gave $7,000. Rob Walton gave $7,000. Even owners of smaller teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds gave $3,500 each. The sports world is backing Rogers hard.
This story shows a clear divide. One side is fighting over culture war issues. The other is focused on getting the job done. Stevens admitted that fearmongering about Israel does not help. It hurts Democrats up and down the ballot. She wants to fix real problems like housing and health care. Rogers has the support of major business owners who want stability.
Michigan voters have a choice on Tuesday.