Debbie Dingell: Haley Stevens’ GOP endorsement is “galvanizing” voters behind Abdul El-Sayed

Updated on: November 2, 2026 / 6:06 PM EST / CBS News

Washington — Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan said Rep. Haley Stevens' stunning endorsement of GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed is having the opposite effect of what she intended.

"You're seeing a backlash," Dingell said in an interview on "The Takeout with Major Garrett" on Monday. "It's galvanizing many communities."

El-Sayed's campaign says it raised more than $2.4 million on Sunday, the same day that Stevens — his former Democratic primary rival — came out in support of Rogers.

"I've had Black pastors talk to me and say, 'Who said she represented us?' There's a lot of anger in how she did what she did yesterday," Dingell said.

The endorsement came after days of hostility between El-Sayed and Stevens, who were expected to appear together on Sunday before tensions boiled over.

El-Sayed and the more moderate Stevens offered starkly differing visions for the future of the party during the primary, and although Stevens endorsed El-Sayed after he won the nomination, the two largely haven't campaigned alongside each other.

The attempt at Democratic unity fell flat after Stevens demanded Friday that El-Sayed — a…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/