Debbie Dingell says Haley Stevens’ Rogers endorsement may backfire

A dispute over Israel

Stevens had been expected to appear with El-Sayed on Sunday, but their plans unraveled after several days of conflict. On Friday, she called on him to apologize for past remarks about Israel and to condemn an ad from an outside political action committee that she said was antisemitic.

El-Sayed’s campaign said the previous week that it had no connection to the ad. In a statement after Stevens’ criticism, El-Sayed said she appeared intent on reopening a primary that had ended three months earlier. He later asked her not to attend his Sunday campaign event.

Stevens backs Rogers

Instead of attending the event, Stevens appeared at church with Rogers on Sunday morning and then endorsed him. The move drew outrage from Democrats. Stevens told reporters that she had initially supported her party but was booed off the stage. She said her anger had grown during the day, but added that she would not let emotion prevail and that the focus should be on winning the next day.

Dingell points to impact

Dingell said Stevens’ endorsement was having the reverse effect from what she intended. El-Sayed’s campaign said it raised more than $2.4 million on Sunday, the same day Stevens announced her support for Rogers. The endorsement came amid a failed effort to present party unity between the two former primary rivals, as Democrats faced a public disagreement over the campaign and the Israel-related controversy.