Haley Stevens cheered at Jewish school after endorsing El-Sayed’s GOP opponent

A growing number of Michigan Jewish Democrats have pledged to vote for Rogers, though more than 1,000 have also signed a letter pledging to vote for El-Sayed.

By Andrew Lapin, JTA

Democratic Michigan U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens was given an extended ovation at a fundraising gala for a Detroit-area Jewish day school Sunday, hours after her endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers for Senate.

Stevens, who is not Jewish but has been a longtime pro-Israel stalwart, was celebrated at the Yeshiva Beth Yehudah annual dinner as many members of her party across the country spoke out against her decision to break with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.

She had contested El-Sayed for the Senate nomination and had initially endorsed him before the former rivals split after trading barbs in the days leading up to Tuesday’s vote.

Video of Stevens’ minute-long standing ovation was shared on social media by representatives of Agudath Israel of America, a major Orthodox advocacy group.

Strongly pro-Israel Jews have largely lauded her move to Rogers, which she said came about in part because of her objections to El-Sayed’s past relationship with anti-Israel streamer Hasan Piker.

Also on Sunday evening, Stevens struggled to explain the timing of her decision in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper but stressed that she believed she was helping Democrats beat back antisemitism within their own party.

“I’m trying to help the Democratic Party. I felt the same way about Graham Platner and his Nazi tattoo,” Stevens said, referencing the Democratic Maine Senate candidate who ultimately stepped down from the nomination.

Asked if she believed El-Sayed is antisemitic, she responded, “I think some of the actions have certainly been antisemitic, Anderson, but I’m just sick of who he stands with.”

She named Piker “the uncle,” referring to Piker’s uncle, Cenk Uygur, whose PAC recently released an ad supporting El-Sayed that blamed Israel for the price of groceries.

After Stevens publicly pressured El-Sayed to condemn the ad’s contents, the candidate appeared to do so on Saturday night, which Stevens celebrated in a statement—hours before endorsing Rogers.

On CNN, Stevens suggested that many other Democrats felt the way she did.

“I’ve been hearing from a ton of Dems, Anderson, who have said, ‘Thank you. This is how we felt.’ They haven’t liked this campaign. It’s painful,” she said.

A growing number of Michigan Jewish Democrats have pledged to vote for Rogers, though more than 1,000 have also signed a letter pledging to vote for El-Sayed.

Stevens’ mother, Maria Marcotte, who also said she voted for Rogers, pointed to her daughter’s treatment by pro-Palestinian activists during the primary campaign in a statement to CNN defending her decision.

Stevens is a longtime beneficiary of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. AIPAC and affiliated groups spent nearly $30 million backing her primary Senate run, according to Fortune magazine.

Yeshiva Beth Yehudah is spread across multiple suburban Detroit campuses and is the largest Jewish day school in the state. Its annual fundraising dinner, “An Evening of Unity,” is known for drawing big national names in politics and the media, usually from both major parties.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, was the evening’s keynote speaker, and the gala program also featured personal letters from President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

But it was Stevens, a regular supporter of the school, who turned the most heads. She was presented with what the emcee called “a specially designed, illuminated book of the five scrolls of our prophets, which remind you all of our heartfelt esteem and appreciation for who you are.”

The yeshiva’s leadership also extended warm wishes to Stevens’ fiancé, Democratic megadonor Jason Turkish, whom the yeshiva’s emcee described as “our dear friend.”

Turkish’s own endorsement of Rogers came days before the congresswoman’s. Stevens has said she might convert to Judaism ahead of her marriage.

Abdul El-SayedelectionsHaley StevensMichiganSenate