Democratic divisions shake up pivotal Michigan Senate race as congresswoman breaks ranks

A Democratic congresswoman in Michigan broke ranks with her party on Sunday to endorse the Republican candidate in her state’s key US Senate race against left-wing progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed.

In a startling display of party infighting just two days before the November 3 midterm election, Haley Stevens, who lost a bruising primary to El-Sayed in August despite being backed by the Democratic establishment, said she was endorsing Republican Mike Rogers.

“This is a very close election, we all know that, but Abdul made very clear that I was not welcome in his campaign,” she told reporters when announcing her endorsement.

Democrats are seeking to wrest control of both chambers of Congress from Republicans in Tuesday’s midterms, with the Michigan race a key battleground that could help them flip control of the Senate.

Sunday’s statement from Stevens was illustrative of internal divisions within the party, with left-wing candidates often clashing with the Democratic Party’s establishment core on key issues.

El-Sayed, a candidate with a rising national profile, has been a vocal critic of the US alliance with Israel, calling for a halt to arms sales to that country.

On Sunday, El-Sayed said he was unbothered by the Stevens announcement.

“At the end of the day, I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens. I think about the 9,999,998 people who are not those two,” he said, referring to Stevens and Rogers.

“Because you know what, I am just less interested in the politics of it all than I am in the policy of it all.”

Democratic backlash against Stevens was fast and furious.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called her move a “despicable betrayal”, while the chairman of the Michigan Democrats’ black caucus said Stevens “revealed herself to be a sell-out” who has lost her way.

If elected, El-Sayed would be the first Muslim member of the US Senate.

US President Donald Trump has often singled him out for abuse on the campaign trail, calling him a “jihadist” and claiming he wants to impose Islamic law on the United States.

Trump quickly praised Stevens for her “bravery”, posting on his social media platform that “Haley said what few people are willing to say”.

Most polls put El-Sayed narrowly ahead of Rogers going into election day.