Vice President JD Vance said Monday that Rep. Haley Stevens’ endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers could benefit Rogers in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. Stevens, a Democrat, announced Sunday that she would support Rogers rather than her party’s nominee, Abdul El-Sayed.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews after campaign appearances in Ohio and New York, Vance said Stevens’ decision might give some voters who do not usually vote Republican greater confidence in supporting Rogers. He described Rogers favorably and sharply criticized El-Sayed. Those characterizations were Vance’s political assessments; the supplied material does not provide independent evidence for them.
Stevens framed her decision around her relationship with El-Sayed’s campaign. In remarks announcing her endorsement, she said El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign and that she should stay away. Stevens said she therefore did not belong in his campaign and endorsed Rogers instead.
The endorsement came amid a contentious contest between Rogers and El-Sayed. In opinion pieces published by Fox News Digital on Monday, each candidate made a case for his campaign. El-Sayed said he was running to ensure Michiganders were not left behind and cited more than 700 campaign events in over 120 cities. He also criticized what he called the Rogers-Trump agenda.
Rogers, a former Army officer and FBI agent, attacked El-Sayed over his association with political streamer Hasan Piker. Rogers accused El-Sayed of associating with people sympathetic to terrorism and alleged that El-Sayed had taken donations from individuals linked to terrorist organizations. These are claims made by Rogers in his opinion piece, not findings independently established in the supplied material.
Stevens has also criticized El-Sayed’s connection to Piker, whom she has said should be condemned for extremist views. The source describes a May livestream in which Piker discussed Neville Roy Singham and organizations he said were part of Singham’s U.S. network. It also cites a Fox News Digital investigation’s reported figures concerning money Singham provided to several organizations. Those details are presented in the source as the outlet’s findings and as Piker’s statements; the material provided here does not include responses from the organizations or further documentation to assess those claims.
Vance’s comments followed campaign stops in New York and Ohio supporting Republican candidates. He was joined during those appearances by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Donald Trump Jr., according to the source. The report said crowds of a couple hundred supporters gathered at the two airport hangars where Vance spoke.
Rogers and El-Sayed each held rallies in Michigan on Monday, making final appeals to voters ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections. The supplied account does not report the election results or establish how Stevens’ endorsement affected voter behavior.
