Mike Rogers Accuses Democrats of Labelling Haley Stevens Mentally Ill Over Shock Senate Endorsement

Mike Rogers has accused two high-profile Michigan Democrats of suggesting Congresswoman Haley Stevens was 'mentally ill' after she broke with her party on 1 November and endorsed him in the state's Senate race.

Mallory McMorrow also implied that Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish, was exerting unhealthy influence over her political decisions. Those were Rogers' characterisations of their remarks, rather than terms independently reported to have been used by either woman.

The row erupted after Stevens announced she would back Rogers, a Republican, despite previously endorsing Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed when she lost the party's Senate primary to him in August.

Her endorsement, delivered just two days before Michigan's 3 November Senate election, deepened already visible divisions inside the state's Democratic Party.

Rogers Hits Back at Criticism

Rogers shared a clip of Dingell and McMorrow discussing Stevens and attacked their comments. In a post on X, he wrote: 'It is wildly insulting that Debbie Dingell and Mallory McMorrow are insinuating that Congresswoman Stevens is mentally ill and that Jason influences her decision making in an unhealthy way.'

He added that Stevens should be 'commended for her courage to stand up to hate and put Michigan first'. Neither Dingell nor McMorrow was quoted as describing Stevens as mentally ill. Rogers' accusation was his interpretation of their remarks about her decision and her fiancé.

McMorrow, a Michigan state senator, said she was concerned about Stevens and acknowledged that she did not know Turkish personally.

She also described a conversation with her husband about Stevens' situation. McMorrow said her husband had told her that he would expect her to leave him if he tried to speak for her in the way she believed Turkish was speaking publicly for Stevens.

US Rep Debbie Dingell also expressed concern about Stevens. She said Stevens had spoken to her late on Saturday night, 31 October, and dismissed reports that she intended to endorse Rogers as rumours.

Why Stevens Endorsed Rogers

Stevens had been scheduled to attend a joint campaign appearance with El-Sayed and US Rep Jim Clyburn at a Detroit church on 1 November. In a video posted on X on 1 November, she said El-Sayed had told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign and should stay away.

'Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away. And he's right. And that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,' Stevens said in the video.

The endorsement followed an earlier declaration of support for Rogers by Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish. Turkish told The Detroit News that El-Sayed had acted 'recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community', according to CBS News.

Stevens later discussed her decision in an interview with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. According to Dingell, Stevens had said during a conversation on Saturday night, 31 October, that she would not endorse Rogers. Asked what had changed, Stevens described her decision as 'just a weight off my shoulders'.

'Abdul has been getting angrier and angrier. I was trying to help. I endorsed him,' Stevens said. 'There are so many Democrats who want to vote for our Democratic nominee, and they're just being told, "Hey, this is a party you don't belong in," or, "This is a campaign you don't belong in."'

Dingell Calls Interview Painful

Cooper repeatedly asked Stevens to explain why she had reversed her earlier support for El-Sayed. Stevens said she had 'great respect' for Dingell, stated that nothing had changed in her own position and accused Cooper of editorialising during their exchange.

Dingell appeared on CNN immediately afterwards and described Stevens' interview as 'one of the most painful interviews I have ever watched'.

'I have been worried about her all last week. She's a human being. I've had multiple conversations with her. I'm far from being the only one who has, and I'm very concerned that this has all become a distraction,' Dingell said.

Dingell also told CNN that Stevens had reassured her several times during their conversation that she would not endorse Rogers. The account of the conversation has not been independently verified by IBTimes UK.

The dispute also affected a planned campaign appearance at a Detroit church on 1 November. Dingell said she had asked Stevens not to attend because the disagreement had become 'way too distracting'. Stevens instead appeared at a separate church service alongside Rogers before announcing her endorsement.

The impact of Stevens' endorsement on the Senate race is not yet clear. Her decision has added a further public disagreement to an already divided Michigan Democratic campaign, and prompted questions about party loyalty, the candidates' relationships and the circumstances of her endorsement in the final days before the election.