El-Sayed’s Campaign Rakes In $2.4 Million in 24 Hours After Stevens’s Endorsement of His Republican Opponent

The campaign team for the U.S. Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, says it broke his single-day fundraising record after his former primary opponent, Congresswoman Haley Stevens, endorsed his Republican rival, Mike Rogers. Ms. Stevens lost to Dr. El-Sayed and initially threw her support behind him. However, their relationship deteriorated over his refusal to call out his supporters for antisemitic and racist comments. Over the weekend, tensions boiled over as Democratic leaders discouraged Ms. Stevens from attending an event to be held for Dr. El-Sayed at a predominantly black church. In response, Ms. Stevens appeared with Mr. Rogers on Sunday at a separate church at Detroit. Afterward, she posted a video saying that she does not “belong in Abdul’s campaign.” She endorsed Mr. Rogers, saying that Dr. El-Sayed has injected “hate” into the campaign.Ms. Stevens’s endorsement seems to have inspired a surge of donations to Dr. El-Sayed, with the campaign announcing that it raked in $2.4 million in the 24 hours — a new record — since her “despicable betrayal,” as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer put it. On Monday, a campaign spokesman, Cole Wozniak, said in a statement, “As Michiganders head to the polls, the momentum behind Abdul’s campaign has never been stronger.”“This record-breaking grassroots fundraising haul is a testament to the excitement that Abdul’s movement has inspired in the hearts of Michiganders — and a rejection of the status quo politics that’s left Michigan behind for far too long,” Mr. Wozniak said.The campaign said that about 29,602 donors — about half of all the donors — were first-time donors. Ms. Stevens’ announcement shocked Democrats and prompted furious responses from party leaders and former allies. At the same time, Republicans called it a “courageous” and potentially dangerous move in an era of increasing political violence. While donations flooded into Dr. El-Sayed’s campaign coffers, the Democratic anger toward Ms. Stevens has led some to call for her expulsion from the House Democratic Caucus. Several staffers resigned in protest, according to her now-former chief of staff, Justin German. Senator Bernie Sanders wrote on X that the staffers were “right to resign in disgust,” arguing that Democrats need to defeat Mr. Rogers and “end the Republican rubber-stamp control of the Senate.”Several outlets have asked what prompted Ms. Stevens to make a tectonic shift in support two days out from the election, especially since Congresswoman Debbie Dingell told reporters that as recently as Saturday, Ms. Stevens indicated she would not endorse Mr. Rogers. In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Sunday night, Ms. Stevens did not elaborate on what led her to change her mind in the time between her conversation with Ms. Dingell and her announcement on Sunday. Ms. Stevens merely said she had “some time to think” and be “alone with my thoughts,” before once again criticizing Dr. El-Sayed for his “level of anger.”

El-Sayed’s Campaign Rakes In $2.4 Million in 24 Hours After Stevens’s Endorsement of His Republican Opponent

El-Sayed’s Campaign Rakes In $2.4 Million in 24 Hours After Stevens’s Endorsement of His Republican Opponent

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