Rep. Haley Stevens' Fiance Switches To Vote For Republican Mike Rogers
Rep. Haley Stevens' fiance, Jason Turkish, announced he will vote for Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers in Michigan's upcoming election. On Wednesday night, a Rogers event backed by the Republican Jewish Coalition saw Turkish appear as this decision was made. The event took place at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan, according to Fox News.
Turkish, a Jewish registered Democrat and lawyer, told reporters he watched the Democratic primary closely but felt the winner did not change his ways. "I waited, and I watched and I listened for Abdul to moderate – but he didn't moderate, he escalated," Turkish stated, according to Fox News. He believes the current Democratic nominee has driven people further apart rather than bringing them together.
Despite her fiance's public switch, Stevens continues to support the Democratic ticket. She told CNN that her home is now split along party lines. "Like a lot of households across America, we're a house divided," Stevens told CNN. "I still very much want our Democratic nominee, his name is Abdul, to win this race," she remarked.
Turkish's shift highlights a deep rift over the language used during the campaign. He stated that El-Sayed's comments make his community less safe. "When he says genocide over and over again, when he refuses to condemn an ad that says Jews are to blame for the price of bananas, he makes my community less safe," Turkish told Fox News. He fears the party will bend to radicals claiming a genocide in Gaza.
The tension between the couple was evident before the primary even ended. Stevens previously told CNN that the campaign needed to "shut out the hate and call it out." She also said El-Sayed's team must reach out to her coalition to "make them feel comfortable about coming to the polls," according to the Washington Examiner.
Yet Turkish felt those pleas went unheeded. He described the nominee's behavior as getting worse as the general election campaign progressed. Turkish noted that the candidate's performance has declined repeatedly throughout the general election campaign. Rather than uniting people, he has only pushed them further and further apart. The Washington Examiner reported that two people familiar with the matter confirmed Turkish's change in plans.
This split comes after a closely fought primary this summer where El-Sayed defeated Stevens. The Washington Examiner noted that El-Sayed claimed "nobody cares" about the internal party fighting while stating, "we're always trying to unify the party." Turkish's decision to back Rogers suggests that safety concerns are outweighing party loyalty for some voters.
Stevens maintains her backing for El-Sayed even though fellow Democrats have criticized her stance. The Washington Times confirmed that Turkish plans to vote for the Republican candidate over the Democrat. The election remains high-stakes for both parties in Michigan. Voters will decide who fills the Senate seat next month based on these very real disagreements over rhetoric and safety.