Stevens Fiancé Backs Rogers in Michigan Senate Bid

Jason Turkish, a registered Democrat and lawyer in Michigan, will cast his ballot for Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers. The decision marks a break from his fiancée, Rep. Haley Stevens, who remains committed to supporting the party's nominee, Abdul El-Sayed. Turkish made the announcement on Wednesday evening at a Townsend Hotel event in Birmingham, sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition. He told reporters he waited for El-Sayed to moderate his stance but felt the candidate instead escalated his rhetoric as the general election campaign progressed.

Turkish identified his primary concern as El-Sayed's use of the word "genocide" to describe the war in Gaza. He argued that this language, combined with El-Sayed's refusal to distance himself from certain allies, makes his community feel less safe. "Every time he talks about genocide, Jews get death threats," Turkish said. He also cited a specific advertisement that blamed Jews for the price of bananas, noting that El-Sayed has not condemned the ad. Turkish described his choice as putting country before party, a sentiment that aligns with his status as a donor to both parties.

The political tension is personal for Stevens, whose primary opponent defeated her in a close race this summer. She told CNN that her household is divided, comparing their situation to many others across the country. "I still very much want our Democratic nominee, his name is Abdul, to win this race," Stevens said. She emphasized the high stakes of the election but has not campaigned publicly with El-Sayed since a unity breakfast following the primary. Her support stands firm despite the criticism from her fiancé.

Turkish also criticized El-Sayed's relationship with streamer Hasan Piker, whom El-Sayed previously linked to a comment suggesting the United States deserved the September 11 attacks. Turkish said El-Sayed has become verbally combative when reporters ask about Piker. "Everything we hear from Abdul El-Sayed includes equivocation," Turkish said. He predicted that Michigan voters would reject that approach. His defection is the second recent shift from Stevens' circle, as her former campaign chair, David Kramer, announced Tuesday that he would also vote for Rogers.

Mike Rogers used the Wednesday evening event to attack El-Sayed's foreign policy positions. "This is not someone we can let into the United States Senate," Rogers said. He argued that a senator must understand Iran as an enemy and be able to condemn Hezbollah-inspired attacks. Rogers did not mention Turkish's vote in his remarks. El-Sayed, a longtime critic of Israel, maintains that the conflict in Gaza is a genocide, a view that contrasts with Israel's position that it is fighting terrorists using civilians as human shields while taking steps to minimize civilian casualties.