November 2, 2026 - A November Surprise in Michigan

Michiganders got quite a November surprise on Sunday when Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the Senate over Abdul El-Sayed, the Democrat who narrowly beat her in August.

The bigger question is whether anyone follows her. I’m skeptical.

Her announcement opens not with Rogers but with El-Sayed, who had told her to stay away from his campaign: “and he’s right.” Her complaints about El-Sayed, including his ties to the streamer Hasan Piker and his slow response to an outside ad blaming grocery prices on aid to Israel, could resonate with some voters who backed her. But her stated case for Rogers was thin. Compare Joe Lieberman, who campaigned for John McCain for nearly a year in 2008 and made the affirmative case at the Republican convention.

Now picture an Oakland County Democrat who voted for Stevens in August. She heard a pledge of support after the primary, then a reversal 48 hours before Election Day, then a celebratory post from Donald Trump. I can more easily imagine that voter offended by the late switch and Trump’s embrace than moved by a tepid endorsement of Rogers. In a recent Fox News poll, Michiganders who called Trump extremely important to their Senate vote favored El-Sayed by 22 points.

Even her chief of staff of eight years quit rather than follow her.

JFK once said that sometimes party loyalty asks too much. Maybe so. But conscience usually announces itself earlier than 48 hours before the polls close.

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Michigan Democratic U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens rescinded her endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed and backed Republican Mike Rogers two days before Election Day in the state's U.S. Senate race, prompting her chief of staff and other aides to resign and drawing sharp condemnation from state and national Democrats.

The Detroit News

New York Times/Siena polls show Democrats leading in five key Senate battleground states and virtually tied in another, with improved support among younger voters, Latinos and independents, as dissatisfaction with President Trump and concerns about the economy shape the final days of the midterm races.

The New York Times

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, 53, suffered a stroke Saturday after feeling numbness in his arm at his son's hockey game and has been transferred to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where doctors are encouraged by his progress and optimistic he will make a full recovery, his chief of staff said.

ABC News

All nine people aboard a Learjet 60 bound for the Bahamas were killed when the plane crashed into a mobile home neighborhood in Palm Beach County, Florida, on Nov. 1, scattering fire and debris across the area, federal authorities said. The cause of the crash is under investigation, and 600 community residents have been relocated to shelters.

USA Today

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With President Donald Trump’s approval ratings sinking amid rising costs, the Iran war and discontent over his immigration policies, Democrats are poised to make significant gains in the November midterms, potentially reclaiming control of the House and putting traditionally Republican states in play as voters deliver a referendum on his second term.

The Guardian

An Associated Press analysis of satellite imagery and military sources found that Iran systematically targeted U.S. early-warning radar systems before striking aircraft, hangars, troop housing and other facilities at more than two dozen Middle East bases, causing billions of dollars in damage and raising concerns about American military defenses in the region.

Associated Press

Democrats are bullish but nervous about flipping the Senate this week, with polls tight across enough states to put the chamber in reach, though polarization and the near-disappearance of split state delegations make the map an uphill fight.

The Washington Post

As voters head to the polls hoping for relief from rising costs, Congress has limited power to influence the policies driving affordability, meaning the midterm elections are unlikely to deliver the economic fixes many Americans want.

The Wall Street Journal

President Donald Trump is still pushing the Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight saving time permanent, a move that could force clocks forward again this month after they fell back Sunday, though the bill has stalled in the Senate amid opposition from Sen. Tom Cotton and others.

The Washington Post

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in a challenge brought by Catholic preschools in Colorado, which contend that the state’s requirement to admit LGBTQ children and children with LGBTQ parents in order to receive public funding violates their First Amendment religious freedom protections.

SCOTUSblog