Haley Stevens’ chief of staff, team resign over Rogers endorsement

Haley Stevens, a former Democratic hopeful for Senate in Michigan, abruptly ended a Detroit press conference with Republican nominee Mike Rogers on Sunday after a heckler called her a “traitor” for endorsing him over Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, TheWrap reports.

Pressed on backing a candidate whose policies she opposes, Stevens said, “Well, nothing is perfect, nothing is perfect — yeah,” before the unidentified man shouted, “Haley Stevens is a traitor!” She was then whisked away and stopped taking questions.

Her chief of staff, Justin German, and much of her team resigned and endorsed El-Sayed, saying they felt “shocked and heartbroken by Congresswoman Stevens’ decision to support Mike Rogers.”

The rift followed a dispute over an ad, after which El-Sayed asked Stevens to stay away from campaign events. In an Instagram video, Stevens said, “I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign … I’m just letting you know where I am.”

El-Sayed responded, “None of this matters.”