A personal political fight has become one of the most talked-about stories before the 2026 midterm elections. Jason Turkish, the fiancé of Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, publicly turned against his party’s Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, in Michigan. He said he will vote for the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers, and accused El-Sayed of using language that makes Jewish people feel unsafe. The dispute grew quickly. Stevens herself endorsed Rogers on Sunday, November 1, 2026, just two days before Election Day, and several of her own staff members resigned in protest. The story has drawn reactions from top Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and even Donald Trump.
Who Is Jason Turkish?
Jason Turkish is a 39-year-old lawyer from Huntington Woods, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. He is the president and managing partner of Nyman Turkish PC, a law firm in Southfield that focuses on disability and discrimination claims. Turkish has been legally blind since birth and has built his career around disability rights. One of his notable cases led to the removal of the LSAT’s logic-games section for all test-takers. Another case guaranteed blind Michigan voters equal access to absentee ballots.
Turkish is Jewish. His father was born in Haifa, Israel, and his grandparents were Holocaust refugees. He is also a longtime Democratic donor. Reports say he has given more than $300,000 to Democratic candidates and causes over the years. He met Haley Stevens in 2022 through a mutual friend, David Kramer, who later chaired Stevens’ Senate campaign. Their first conversation was about tax-credit legislation Stevens was working on for seniors and people with disabilities. The two became friends, started a relationship in 2026, and announced their engagement in August 2026, less than a month after Stevens lost the Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed.
Why Turkish Is Voting for Mike Rogers
On October 28, 2026, Turkish told The Detroit News that he would vote for Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee, over Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee. Turkish said his decision was driven by El-Sayed’s comments about Israel and Jewish safety. He pointed to a moment during a debate when El-Sayed refused to say whether Iran or Israel poses a bigger threat to the United States.
“I’ve just seen an escalation in [El-Sayed’s] rhetoric since the primary, and it makes folks unsafe,” Turkish told the Detroit News. “Every time he talks about genocide, Jews get death threats.”
Turkish also said he believes El-Sayed has acted more recklessly toward Jewish safety than any other Senate candidate in recent memory.
“We have never seen a candidate for U.S. Senate act so recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community as we have seen from Abdul,” he said.
He described his vote as “putting country before party” and insisted he is still a Democrat who will vote for Democrats in other races.
The Controversial Ad at the Center of the Fight
The tension between Turkish and El-Sayed grew after a political advertisement linked to El-Sayed’s supporters caused outrage. The ad showed a Michigan couple complaining about high grocery prices. In the ad, a woman says there is not enough money to buy eggs because “we have to set that $7 aside for killing Palestinians”. Stevens and Turkish called the ad antisemitic. Stevens demanded that El-Sayed publicly disavow it. El-Sayed’s campaign said the candidate was “not affiliated in any way” with the ad, but El-Sayed did not explicitly condemn it or apologize.
Turkish appeared on TMZ Live on Friday, October 30, 2026, and said Stevens might soon withdraw her support for El-Sayed if he did not disavow the ad.
“I don’t think she’s going to be supporting Abdul El-Sayed very much longer,” Turkish said on TMZ.
Haley Stevens Endorses Mike Rogers
On Sunday, November 1, 2026, Haley Stevens made a surprise announcement. She endorsed Mike Rogers, the Republican, over Abdul El-Sayed, her own party’s nominee. Stevens said El-Sayed had made clear she was not welcome in his campaign.
“Abdul made very clear that I was not welcome in his campaign, that he didn’t need me there, that he didn’t want me,” Stevens said. “And at some point you gotta look at who’s standing for country.”
Stevens had lost the Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed in August 2026 by a narrow margin. After the primary, she initially said she supported El-Sayed. Her decision to back Rogers instead marked a major break with her party.
The endorsement triggered immediate fallout. Justin German, Stevens’ chief of staff, and Logan Basch, her communications director, resigned. More than half of her congressional staff quit in protest.
“We are shocked and heartbroken by Congresswoman Stevens’ decision to support Mike Rogers,” German said.
The Michigan Democratic Party also moved to distance itself from Stevens. Party chair Curtis Hertel said Stevens “is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future”.
Democrats React with Anger
Democratic leaders responded sharply to Stevens’ decision. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a “despicable betrayal”. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, two prominent progressives, also criticized Stevens.
“Abdul El-Sayed is very clearly the leader that we need in this moment, and I don’t think that it’s worth the distraction,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Mamdani said the choice was about fighting for working people.
“The choice is whether or not you want to fight for working people like what Dr. Abdul El-Sayed has been on, or whether you want to provide additional oxygen and amplification to a candidacy of someone who wants to cut Medicare even further than it’s already been cut,” Mamdani said.
Other Democratic lawmakers used stronger words. Representative Jared Huffman called Stevens’ move “pathetic, petty, selfish, unhinged.” Representative Jamie Raskin said he was “dumbfounded”.
Trump Praises Stevens
President Donald Trump praised Stevens for her endorsement. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the move “BIG” and praised her “bravery.” Speaking to reporters in Iowa, Trump said he would “love” for Stevens to join the Republican Party.
What Abdul El-Sayed Says
Abdul El-Sayed has largely avoided direct attacks on Stevens. When asked about Turkish’s criticism, El-Sayed said the election is about control of the Senate and about putting a check on Donald Trump.
“If folks see another issue that is more important to them and decide that their disagreement with me on that is bigger than their agreement with me on all these other things, that is their choice,” El-Sayed said.
After Stevens endorsed Rogers, El-Sayed told reporters, “I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens”. His campaign spokesperson, Roxie Richner, said El-Sayed is “focused on building a broad coalition” in Michigan.
The Couple’s “House Divided”
Stevens and Turkish have publicly acknowledged their political split. In an interview with CNN on October 28, Stevens said their household was divided.
“Like a lot of households across America, we’re a house divided,” she said. “I still very much want our Democratic nominee, his name is Abdul, to win this race. There’s so much on the line.”
Turkish told The New York Times that he would feel “less safe on this planet if Abdul El-Sayed is the senator”. He also said his decision was not easy.
“It’s not easy. I’m a lawyer. I’m a civil rights attorney. I care a great deal about our courts. I care about the federal judiciary,” Turkish said. “This is not an easy decision for me as an individual voter, but I’ve seen what’s happened, and it’s just gotten so much worse.”
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A Personal Story That Became a Political Storm
Jason Turkish was not a well-known name in national politics before October 2026. His decision to speak publicly about his vote turned a private family disagreement into a national story. The fight combines several powerful forces: a close Senate race, deep divisions within the Democratic Party over Israel, and a personal relationship at the center of it all.
Haley Stevens gave up her House seat to run for the Senate. She lost the primary to El-Sayed, who is trying to become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. Stevens is known as one of the most pro-Israel Democrats in Congress. Her fiancé’s public stand against El-Sayed, followed by her own endorsement of the Republican, has made the Michigan Senate race one of the most unusual and closely watched contests of the 2026 midterms.
Mike Rogers welcomed Turkish’s support. At a Republican Jewish Coalition event in Birmingham, Michigan, on October 28, Rogers told reporters, “I love it” when asked about Turkish’s endorsement.
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