Vice President JD Vance said Monday that Rep. Haley Stevens’ decision to endorse Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race will “certainly” help Rogers in the midterm elections, arguing that the move gives some Democratic-leaning voters permission to back the GOP nominee.
Vance spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews after two rallies for Republican candidates in New York and Ohio. He was responding to a question from Fox News Digital about how much Stevens’ endorsement could affect the race. Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, had endorsed Rogers over Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
Vance Calls Endorsement a Boost for Rogers
“I certainly think it helps,” Vance said. “I mean, the message is whether you’re a reasonable Democrat, a Republican, a conservative, an independent or just a liberal who loves the United States of America. El-Sayed is a crazy person and Mike Rogers is a patriot.”
Vance added that the endorsement reinforces a broader message to voters. “I do think it drives home the message, maybe gives certain voters who, you know, wouldn’t normally vote for a Republican permission, knowing that the Democratic Congresswoman of Michigan is going to support Mike Rogers.”
The vice president went on to describe Rogers as a “good guy” and said he believes Michigan voters see El-Sayed as a “crazy guy” who would not be good for the state.
Stevens Breaks With El-Sayed
Stevens announced her endorsement of Rogers on Sunday and took a swipe at El-Sayed in the process. She had lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed, who won the nomination for Michigan’s open Senate seat.
“Hey Michigan, as you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” Stevens said. “And he’s right, and that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today. I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign.”
Both Candidates Make Their Case
On Monday, ahead of Election Day, both El-Sayed and Rogers published opinion pieces in Fox News Digital laying out why they entered the race.
El-Sayed wrote that “no Michigander deserves to be left behind.” “That’s why we’ve held over 700 events in over 120 cities,” he said. “I’ve sat down with Michiganders from all walks of life, all of whom are hurting from the Rogers-Trump agenda and are hungry for change.”
Rogers did not spare his opponent. He pointed to El-Sayed’s connection to far-left streamer and activist Hasan Piker.
“As a former Army officer and FBI street agent, I would never have imagined that I would be running against someone who associates with terrorist sympathizers. El-Sayed has invited someone to our state who openly proclaims, ‘America deserved 9/11.’ He took donations from individuals linked to terrorist organizations.”
Stevens has also criticized El-Sayed’s ties to Piker since endorsing Rogers. She has previously said Piker “should be condemned” for his extremist views.
The Piker and Singham Connection
During a May livestream, Piker pointed investigators toward Neville Roy Singham, a target of subpoenas issued by the Treasury Department. He said Singham’s “operation” in the U.S. includes the openly Marxist ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, known as PSL.
“I think that ultimately the target is probably Singham and his operation from PSL to ANSWER Coalition to CodePink — like anything that he has ever financed,” Piker said. “Not sure how much money he has now, but he’s been a funding vehicle for a lot of political movements in the country, like a lot of activism, and they hate that s—, so they’re trying to jam them up.”
A Fox News Digital investigation found that Singham has funneled $285 million into six organizations. Those include $22.44 million to the People’s Forum, a hub for communist organizing in New York City; $1.33 million to CodePink; $68.7 million to Justice and Education Fund Inc., a nonprofit that funnels money to anonymous projects overseas; $1.098 million to BreakThrough BT Media, a propaganda arm; and $16.76 million to Tricontinental Ltd., a pro-communist think tank. The Party for Socialism and Liberation and ANSWER Coalition share office space at the People’s Forum and share leadership with it.
Final Push Before Election Day
After Vance returned to Joint Base Andrews in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon, El-Sayed and Rogers each held rallies in Michigan as a final message to voters.
On his final rally blitz, Vance spoke to voters in Ohio and New York in support of Jon Husted, Vivek Ramaswamy and Andrew Constantino, among others. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Donald Trump Jr. joined him during his remarks. Crowds of a few hundred supporters gathered at the two airport hangars where Vance spoke, as he urged Republicans to get out and vote in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
