Michigan Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers praised Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens for putting America ahead of her party Monday while accusing Democrats of viciously attacking the congresswoman after she stunned her party by endorsing him over Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
asserted
she → praise → Sayed
Rogers told Brian Kilmeade on the "Brian Kilmeade Show" that Stevens’ endorsement "flipped this thing upside down," saying the congresswoman called him Sunday morning while he was on his way to church before ultimately deciding to publicly back his campaign following her bruising primary loss to El-Sayed.
"This is a congresswoman who just stood up and said, 'America is more important than my party right now,'" Rogers said.
asserted
Rogers → tell → party
"And we cannot elect somebody who is so anti-Jewish, who is divisive, who's angry, who was mean about his politics.
asserted
who → elect → politics
It's just the wrong thing to do."
asserted
It → do → ?
Rogers' comments came as Fox News reported Monday that Stevens' endorsement triggered backlash from top Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Schumer called the move a "despicable betrayal," while Pelosi accused Stevens of "dangerously" betraying Michigan families by backing Rogers.
asserted
Pelosi → come → Rogers
The endorsement marked a dramatic break for Stevens, who had stopped short of explicitly endorsing El-Sayed in the weeks after losing the Democratic primary but continued to publicly align herself with the party.
asserted
who → mark → party
During an October CNN interview, Stevens was repeatedly pressed on whether she supported El-Sayed and declined to explicitly say she endorsed him, instead stressing that she was "still on the team" and planned to support Democrats on the ballot.
asserted
she → press → ballot
The tensions between the former primary rivals had been building in the closing stretch of the race.
asserted
tensions → build → race
Stevens pressed El-Sayed to condemn an outside group's ad linking U.S. support for Israel to higher grocery prices, which she called antisemitic, before El-Sayed's campaign asked her to stay away from its remaining campaign events.
asserted
campaign → press → events
El-Sayed said his campaign did not produce the ad and that he disagreed with its contents.
asserted
he → say → contents
Meanwhile, days before she publicly endorsed Rogers, Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish, had already broken with the Democratic nominee.
asserted
fiancé → endorse → nominee
Turkish, a Jewish Michigan attorney and registered Democrat, told reporters at a Rogers campaign event that he planned to vote for the Republican, arguing that El-Sayed's rhetoric on Israel had made the Jewish community "less safe."
asserted
community → register → Israel
Turkish described his decision as "putting country before party."
asserted
Turkish → describe → party
Still, even hours before the endorsement, Stevens appeared to be denying that she planned to back Rogers.
asserted
she → appear → Rogers
Fox News Digital reported Monday that Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said she spoke with Stevens around midnight Saturday and was told reports of an impending Rogers endorsement were a "rumor" and "not true.
asserted
reports → report → endorsement
However, hours later, Stevens was standing alongside Rogers at a Detroit church service, where she ultimately announced she would cross party lines and endorse him over El-Sayed.
asserted
she → stand → Sayed
"We didn't know what was going to happen.
asserted
what → know → ?
We were driving to the church yesterday morning when the call came in," Rogers said.
asserted
Rogers → drive → church
"I just invited her to come in.
asserted
I → invite → her
She decided between when she got in the car and she got to the church, she was going not only withdraw the endorsement, but endorse me."
asserted
she → decide → me
Rogers, who said the pair had a "great conversation" on the phone, also pushed back on suggestions that Stevens had received anything in exchange for the endorsement, saying his campaign had no advance knowledge that she planned to back him.
"Absolutely not.
asserted
she → say → him
Matter of fact, we didn't know what was going to happen," Rogers said when asked whether he had offered Stevens anything.
asserted
he → know → anything
"She said, 'I've not asked anyone to go with me, I'm just telling you what I'm doing.'"
asserted
I → say → what
Rogers then took aim at Democrats who have attacked Stevens since her announcement.
asserted
who → take → announcement
"They want to attack Haley Stevens for saying, ‘I'm a Democrat, I'm voting Democrat up and down the ticket, except for one race, Abdul El-Sayed.
asserted
I → want → race
I am voting for Mike Rogers,’" Rogers said.
asserted
Rogers → vote → Rogers
"Their whole plan now is to come out and attack her with viciousness," he continued.
asserted
he → come → viciousness
"She's the only one in the Democrat Party today that has enough common sense to know you elect somebody that hates a group of people this much, it's gonna be a disaster for Democrats and America.
asserted
it → have → Democrats
During his appearance on Kilmeade's radio show, Rogers was pressed on a New York Times/Siena poll released Sunday that showed El-Sayed leading him 53% to 42% among likely Michigan voters, a significantly wider margin than other surveys of the race.
asserted
Sayed → press → race
Rogers rejected the findings, pointing to his campaign's internal polling and modeling, which he said showed the race within one or two points.
asserted
he → reject → points
"We have it as a one- or two-point race," Rogers said.
asserted
Rogers → have → race
"Our polling, our modeling and polling shows this is tied or we're up by two.
asserted
we → show → two
So we think that's closer to the truth."
asserted
that → think → truth
Rogers also argued that the poll underestimated his support among Black voters in Detroit, saying his campaign had made "great inroads" in the community.
asserted
campaign → argue → community
His comments come after Stevens publicly questioned El-Sayed's outreach to Black voters.
asserted
Stevens → come → voters
During the October CNN interview, when she would not explicitly back El-Sayed, Stevens said she had urged El-Sayed and his campaign to deliver a speech to the Black community.
asserted
she → back → community
"But yeah, I mean, that didn't happen," Stevens said at the time.
asserted
Stevens → mean → time
"That speech hasn't happened."
asserted
speech → happen → ?
The Aporia
