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DETROIT — <\/span>Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed\u2019s<\/a> former opponent in the U.S. Senate primary<\/a>, Haley Stevens, stunned party officials Sunday by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers<\/a> as Democratic tensions boiled over days before the election that could determine the balance of power on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> the same day with El-Sayed, who defeated the congresswoman by a slim margin in the August primary. <\/p>\n \u201cOur 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. \u201cAnd he’s right. And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today.\u201d<\/p>\n El-Sayed dismissed the endorsement when asked about it by reporters later Sunday, saying he’s focused on issues voters care about, such as the high cost of living.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day I actually don\u2019t think about Haley Stevens,” he said, adding later: \u201cNone of this matters.” <\/p>\n Michigan Democratic leaders were left shocked. With just less than 48 hours to go before Election Day, a party that had spent months trying to unite behind its Senate nominee was suddenly grappling with an extraordinary defection in one of this year’s most important races.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> regarding a Michigan synagogue attack and for appearances with controversial streamer Hasan Piker<\/a>. <\/p>\n El-Sayed, a former Michigan public health official, is facing Rogers, an ex-congressman, for the seat held by the retiring Democrat, Gary Peters. Keeping Michigan in Democratic hands is vital to the party\u2019s effort to win a majority for the final two years of Trump\u2019s second term.<\/p>\n Stevens and El-Sayed were originally scheduled to attend church together, along with other Michigan and national Democrats, including South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn. Democrats hoped it would be a show of unity as they worked to boost turnout in the Detroit area, where concerns have lingered about enthusiasm among Black and Jewish voters in key Democratic strongholds.<\/p>\n 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 Clyburn. <\/p>\n In an at times disjointed interview later Sunday night on CNN, Stevens said she decided to back Rogers after waking up in the morning and having time to think.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a weight off my shoulders, I\u2019m being straight with everybody,\u201d Stevens said, describing El-Sayed as increasingly angry. She at times took long pauses and seemed to struggle to explain her decision.<\/p>\n U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan, who joined CNN’s Anderson Cooper immediately after his interview with Stevens, said it was \u201cone of the most painful interviews I have watched\u201d and that she has been worried all week about Stevens.<\/p>\n After the church service north of Detroit, where Stevens and her fiance Jason Turkish worshipped with Rogers and his wife, Kristi, the congresswoman told reporters, \u201cI\u2019m not turning my back on Democrats. It is this one vote.\u201d<\/p>\n Rogers, standing beside her, said he was \u201chonored\u201d by her support.<\/p>\n Their appearance came days after Stevens publicly reaffirmed she would vote for her party’s nominee. It also 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are shocked and heartbroken,\u201d the aide said in a statement.<\/p>\n The state party chair, Curtis Hertel, said Stevens’ endorsement \u201cshows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe reject the attempts by Stevens and bad-faith actors to divide our party and undermine our momentum,” Hertel wrote, and won’t let such 11th-hour \u201cdistractions\u201d deter the campaign. Hertel later wrote that Stevens “is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.”<\/p>\n Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who supported Stevens in the primary, denounced her endorsement of Rogers. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens,\u201d Schumer wrote in a social media post.<\/p>\n Among the Democrats who joined El-Sayed at church Sunday morning were Dingell, U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who dropped out of the Senate primary before voting began.<\/p>\n Dingell, a senior Democratic figure in the state who helped organize the planned joint appearance, said she asked Stevens not to attend and that Stevens told her she would abide by that.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m the one who pulled it, because it had become way too distracting,” Dingell said in an interview before Stevens appeared with Rogers. \u201cThis is not how I was going to spend my weekend before the election, to be perfectly frank.\u201d<\/p>\n In the August primary, Stevens defeated El-Sayed in Wayne County, which includes Detroit, and neighboring Oakland County, drawing support from Black and Jewish voters who are important parts of the Democratic coalition.<\/p>\n Early voting for Tuesday’s election has been underway since Oct. 24. As of Friday, more than 1.8 million people had already voted in Michigan. <\/p>\n