Within four hours, abdul sayed raises 1.2 million after haley stevens endorsed opponent

Fundraising after endorsement

El-Sayed’s campaign brought in $1.2 million in the four hours after Stevens announced her support for Rogers on Sunday, Politico first reported. The two are competing in Michigan’s Senate election. The Democratic National Committee and El-Sayed also sent a joint fundraising email on Sunday with the subject line “Who this election is actually about,” according to Politico.

Dispute over Israel criticism

Stevens’ endorsement followed a falling out with El-Sayed over his criticism of Israel. She had asked him to publicly reject an advertisement made by Rebellion PAC, which partly linked aid to Israel with higher prices. Stevens said the ad asserted, “Jews are responsible for America’s economic woes.” Her fiancé, who is Jewish, said he would support Rogers, The Hill reported.

Democrats respond to Stevens

Democrats criticized Stevens for endorsing Rogers. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the move a “despicable betrayal.” The article also quoted a statement condemning what it described as racist, Islamophobic and false Republican attacks on El-Sayed.

Democratic Reps. Lateefah Simon of California and Marc Veasey of Texas were among House members who pushed to remove Stevens from their caucus, Axios reported. Rogers praised her choice, saying she had put Michigan first and that he looked forward to working with her in the Senate.

Spending and polling figures

AIPAC spent $30.6 million during the Democratic primary to support Stevens, according to the report. Its super PAC, the United Democratic Project, spent $20 million opposing El-Sayed and $10 million backing Stevens, citing Federal Election Commission filings. As of Monday, the day before Election Day, El-Sayed led Rogers by an average of 5.2 points, according to RealClearPolling.