Stevens's fiancé says he'll vote for Rogers; El-Sayed camp says its tent is big

Jason Turkish, a Jewish Democrat and civil rights attorney, says he will vote for Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's U.S. Senate race. Turkish is engaged to U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat who narrowly lost the Aug. 4 Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed ¹. The Detroit News reported his decision on Wednesday ¹.

Turkish says he has become convinced that El-Sayed is an antisemite. El-Sayed's campaign has not accepted that description. Turkish called his choice "putting country before party" and said he did not vote for Rogers when Rogers ran in 2024 ¹.

What Turkish said

Turkish pointed to El-Sayed's remark that Israel is not a U.S. ally. He also cited El-Sayed's refusal in a debate to say whether Iran or Israel is the bigger threat ¹. He faulted El-Sayed for not disavowing a viral grocery-store ad from an outside group, Rebellion PAC ¹.

We have never seen a candidate for U.S. Senate act so recklessly toward the safety of Jews

Turkish also attended a Republican Jewish Coalition event for Rogers on Wednesday evening, Jewish Insider reported ². He acknowledged that a Rogers win could make it easier for President Trump to push through judicial nominees ¹.

From Channel GOPEl-Sayed lists Mike Rogers' corporate donorsAbdul El-Sayed · 144 plays · captioned, with the source named

How El-Sayed's campaign responded

The Detroit News quoted El-Sayed spokeswoman Roxie Richner rather than the candidate. She did not address Turkish's charges directly ¹. The campaign has distanced itself from the PAC ad, and Jewish Insider reported that it has not explicitly condemned the ad's contents ¹².

Abdul is focused on building a broad coalition to win Michigan and win back the Senate majority for Democrats.

Richner added: "Our tent is big enough for all those who wish to join it." ¹

Stevens's mixed signals

Stevens endorsed El-Sayed after the primary. She has not campaigned with him publicly since a unity breakfast shortly afterward ¹. On CNN, she said she is still voting for El-Sayed. She also urged him to take down a campaign ad featuring Tucker Carlson and to condemn the PAC ad ².

Asked on CNN whether she is fully behind El-Sayed, Stevens said: "I can't say that I agree with everything that's gone on." ¹ Townhall reported that she instead pointed to Democratic candidates in general, and that host Dana Bash noted she had not named El-Sayed ³.

Stevens's former campaign chair, attorney David Kramer, told Jewish Insider on Oct. 27 that he also intends to vote for Rogers ¹.

What happens next

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Turkish has given more than $200,000 to federal Democratic candidates and committees this cycle. He also gave over $24,000 last year to committees allied with Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican ¹.

That matters because a Senate seat in a closely watched state can decide which party controls the chamber. Two defections from Stevens's circle will not decide the race by themselves. Still, they give Rogers a story about Democratic unrest in the final week, and they test whether El-Sayed can pull his primary rivals' supporters together. The Detroit News linked to a poll showing El-Sayed ahead of Rogers, but its page did not give the numbers ¹.

The Record

1. Aug 4, 2026Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeats Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary ¹.
2. Oct 27, 2026Stevens's former campaign chair David Kramer tells Jewish Insider he intends to vote for Rogers ¹.
3. Oct 28, 2026Jason Turkish, Stevens's fiancé, says he will vote for Mike Rogers; the El-Sayed campaign responds through a spokeswoman ¹².

Sources

1. The Detroit News (via Yahoo News), “Haley Stevens' fiancé says he's voting for Mike Rogers for Senate” (2026-10-28). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/haley-stevens-fianc-says-he
2. Jewish Insider, “Haley Stevens fiancé says he's voting for Mike Rogers” (2026-10-28). jewishinsider.com/2026/10/haley-stevens-fiancee-says-hes-vot
3. Townhall, “Haley Stevens Won't Say Whether She Regrets Endorsing Abdul El-Sayed” (2026-10-28). townhall.com/news/scott-mcclallen/2026/10/28/haley-stevens-w

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