Abdul El-Sayed’s Democratic rival, Haley Stevens, endorses GOP's Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race

DETROIT (AP) — Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s former opponent in the U.S. Senate primary, Haley Stevens, stunned party officials Sunday by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers after Democratic tensions boiled over days before the election that could determine the balance of power on Capitol Hill.

Stevens endorsed Rogers after attending a Detroit church service with him. The remarkable show of support for the President Donald Trump-backed candidate in the tightly contested race comes after she was uninvited to a joint event the same day with El-Sayed, who defeated the congresswoman by a slim margin in the August primary.

“Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away," Stevens said in a video announcing the endorsement, which led her top aide to quit. “And he's right. And that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today.”

Tensions between the two Democrats have festered since the primary. Stevens is a staunch supporter of Israel, while El-Sayed is a fierce critic of the U.S. ally. He has also been criticized by some in the community for past remarks regarding a Michigan synagogue attack and for appearances with controversial streamer Hasan Piker.

Democrats had hoped that Sunday would be a show of unity. Instead, Stevens swayed to gospel music alongside Rogers in the pews at Perfecting Church, while El-Sayed was a few miles away at a different house of worship campaigning alongside prominent Democrats, including South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn. The Associated Press attended both services as the dramatic split-screen unfolded.

The latest and late-stage infighting comes as Democrats look to drive turnout among Black and Jewish voters in key strongholds. El-Sayed, a former Michigan public health official, is in a tight race with Rogers, an ex-congressman, for the seat held by Democrat Gary Peters, who is retiring. Keeping Michigan in Democratic hands is vital to the party’s effort to win a majority for the final two years of Trump’s second term.

Plans for Stevens to join El-Sayed and Clyburn unraveled after a dispute over Israel and an outside group’s campaign advertisement escalated into a public exchange of criticism between the rivals.

After the church service north of Detroit, where Stevens and fiance Jason Turkish worshipped with Rogers and his wife, Kristi, the congresswoman told reporters, “I’m not turning my back on Democrats. It is this one vote.”

Rogers, standing beside her, said he was “honored” by her support.

Their appearance stunned Democrats, coming days after Stevens publicly reaffirmed she would vote for the nominee, and led her longtime chief of staff to resign with a number of staff members expected to follow soon, according to a person familiar with the developments who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

“We are shocked and heartbroken,” the aide said in a statement.

The state party chair, Curtis Hertel, said Stevens' endorsement “shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about.”

“We reject the attempts by Stevens and bad-faith actors to divide our party and undermine our momentum, and will not allow these eleventh-hour distractions deter us,” Hertel wrote.

Among the Democrats who joined El-Sayed at church were U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan, U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who dropped out of the Senate primary before voting began.

El-Sayed spoke for nearly 10 minutes at the service. He did not address the latest controversy.

“It’s in churches like this, in pews like the ones in which you sit, that the foundation of my life was built,” El-Sayed said.

Dingell, a senior Democratic figure in the state who helped organize the planned joint appearance in hopes of bringing together Democrats in the final days before Tuesday's vote, said she asked Stevens not to attend and that Stevens told her she would abide by that.

“I'm the one who pulled it because it had become way too distracting," Dingell said in a telephone interview before Stevens appeared with Rogers. “This is not how I was going to spend my weekend before the election, to be perfectly frank.”

Dingell and other Democrats insist the party is united behind El-Sayed. Early voting has been underway since Oct. 24, before the latest tensions resurfaced, complicating efforts to deliver a unified closing message in crucial areas such as Detroit, where turnout could prove decisive.

Stevens defeated El-Sayed in Wayne County, which includes Detroit, and neighboring Oakland County, in the primary, drawing support from Black and Jewish voters who are important parts of the Democratic coalition.

The Democratic primary was among the most bitter this year. Each candidate accused the other of making personal attacks. Tens of millions of dollars in outside spending poured into the race, including from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s affiliated super PAC, which backed Stevens. El-Sayed took particular offense to an outside group’s ad accusing him of disrespecting women.

Although Stevens pledged after the primary to help El-Sayed however she could, the two have not appeared together publicly since a unity breakfast two days after his summer win.

Last week Stevens’ fiancé told The Detroit News that he would vote for Rogers. Stevens later appeared on CNN to reaffirm her support for El-Sayed but urged his campaign to “shut out the hate and call it out.”

But on Friday, after The Associated Press reported on the planned joint appearance, Stevens released a lengthy statement calling on El-Sayed to condemn an ad by an independent left-wing group that linked U.S. support for Israel to high grocery prices.

“Abdul promises to get money out of politics,” Stevens wrote. “He can begin by getting Israel out of his explanation for everything Michigan cannot afford.”

El-Sayed responded: “So while Congresswoman Stevens seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago, let’s all focus on the task at hand.”

He made clear the ad was not made by his campaign and “I do not agree with the contents of that ad.”

Cappelletti reported from Washington.

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is handed the microphone by Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., during a church service at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., speaks alongside Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers after a church service at Perfecting Church, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, right, and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., attend a service at Perfecting Church, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a church service at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a church service at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., speaks as he accompanies Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a church service at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, right, and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., attend a service at Perfecting Church, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., left, Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and his wife Sarah Jukaku, attend a church service at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, right, and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., attend a service at Perfecting Church, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

In this image taken from video, Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., Abdul El-Sayed’s former Democratic primary rival, third from right, attends service with El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, center, at Perfecting Church in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)

Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, right, and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., attend a service at Perfecting Church, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., speaks with reporters before Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed attends a church service at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., left, Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and his wife Sarah Jukaku, attend a church service at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed attends a church service at Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers speaks during a campaign event, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2016, in Sterling Heights, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

A child dressed in a Halloween costume listens as Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at a campaign rally, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Sterling Heights, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks at a campaign rally, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Sterling Heights, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Dozens of people were injured and at least six people died in mass shootings as gun violence broke out at nightlife districts in half a dozen cities across the country over the Halloween weekend.

Police in Dallas, the site of the deadliest violence, said four people are dead and 15 others were injured following a handful of shootings in the city's Deep Ellum neighborhood, a center of music, restaurants and nightlife in the city. Police in college towns like Fayetteville, Arkansas; Birmingham, Alabama; Newark, Delaware, and Bloomington, Illinois, also reported shootings in their nightlife districts this weekend.

Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said investigators are still trying to determine if the shootings Saturday night over the span of about an hour and 15 minutes were related.

Comeaux said three separate shootings occurred, and it wasn't immediately known why they started. Comeaux said some arrests were made but he didn’t specify how many or what charges were involved.

“This is a really big scene. It's spread out,” Comeaux said. “We are interviewing some individuals right now that we have arrested, still trying to figure out exactly how it ties into all the shootings out here.”

The department had increased police presence in the district before the shootings. No police officers were injured.

In Birmingham, Alabama, one person was killed and eight others were wounded in a mass shooting just outside Legion Field after the annual ‘Magic City Classic’ football game on Saturday night, police said.

Michael Pickett, chief of the Birmingham Police Department, said most spectators and families had left the stadium property after the game, but the shooting happened nearby, where vendors were set up along Graymont Avenue.

He said he was “very grateful that more people weren’t injured.”

The circumstances of the shooting were unclear.

Police spokesperson De'Rell Freeman said one person had been detained and transported to police headquarters for questioning, and “multiple weapons” had been found and secured.

Alabama State and Alabama A&M are historically Black universities and archrivals whose annual contest has been played for more than 100 years. Nearly 70,000 fans attended Saturday's game, won by Alabama A&M 31-28. The event draws some of the largest crowds in the country for games played in their college football division.

The Magic City Classic has such a deep history that Alabama State coach Eddie Robinson Jr., a former NFL linebacker and alumnus of the school, proposed creating a Hall of Fame for the game.

In Newark, Delaware, six people were shot late Saturday near the University of Delaware campus, Newark police Lt. Greg D’Elia said. All six were transported to hospitals for treatment, police said early Sunday. No updates on their condition were available as of Sunday afternoon. A university spokesperson said they would provide updates on the investigation online as they become available.

Video shared on social media showed people running for safety from the scene. One stretch of the city's Main Street was closed for several hours after the shooting, police said.

A shooting early Sunday in Bloomington, Illinois, left a 19-year-old woman dead and another woman in critical condition. Six others had injuries that were not life-threatening, but it was unclear from a statement by the city's police department and McLean County Coroner’s Office if those people had gunshot wounds. The shooting happened near the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University. Bloomington is about 135 miles (217 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.

A shooting early Sunday near a strip mall southwest of Little Rock, Arkansas, left one man dead and “several more” injured, city police said on Facebook. Police didn't specify the exact number of injured.

And in Fayetteville, Arkansas, six people were taken to hospitals with gunshot wounds from a shooting that happened early Sunday. No arrests have been made, police said in a news release. A preliminary investigation indicates an altercation preceded the shooting.

On Friday, two people were killed in separate shootings at Spirit Halloween stores in California and Michigan.

Police said a shooting inside a store at an indoor shopping mall in Fairfield, California was a targeted attack. Family members told police that the 31-year-old woman who died was pregnant. Six other people were wounded, police said.

In Madison Heights, Michigan, just north of Detroit, a 21-year-old man was fatally shot Friday afternoon at a Spirit Halloween. Another man who was assaulted by bystanders as officers took him into custody was hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.

Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia. AP reporters Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia and Laura Turbay in Little Rock, Arkansas, contributed to this report.

Multiple police and fire units respond near Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., after a shooting following the 85th Magic City Classic on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Will McLelland /AL.com via AP)

Multiple police and fire units respond near Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., after a shooting following the 85th Magic City Classic on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Will McLelland /AL.com via AP)

Multiple police and fire units respond near Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., after a shooting following the 85th Magic City Classic on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Will McLelland /AL.com via AP)

Multiple police and fire units respond near Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., after a shooting was reported following the 85th Magic City Classic on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (Will McLelland /AL.com via AP)

This image provided by WBMA shows police vehicles at the scene of a shooting, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026 in Birmingham, Ala. (WBMA via AP)