Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., was inside Detroit’s Perfecting Church on Sunday, standing next to Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers during a service, Fox News confirmed — an unusual scene in a Senate race roiled by Democratic infighting.
The appearance came after Stevens was disinvited from a planned church event with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, the man who narrowly defeated her in Michigan’s August Democratic primary.
The reversal left Stevens at the same church as Rogers, El-Sayed’s Republican opponent.
Stevens has pressed El-Sayed to condemn an outside group’s ad linking U.S. support for Israel to higher grocery prices, which she called antisemitic.
El-Sayed said the ad was not produced by his campaign and that he disagreed with its contents.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., who helped organize the planned appearance, said Stevens was asked to skip it after the dispute became a distraction and upset the church’s bishop.
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El-Sayed’s campaign also asked Stevens to stay away from its remaining events.
Stevens fiancé, Jason Turkish, has previously endorsed Rogers and appeared at a Rogers campaign event, saying he could not support El-Sayed because of his positions on Israel.
The dispute has put a spotlight on Democratic divisions in a close Senate race that could help determine control of the chamber.