Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign raised $1.2 million in roughly four hours on Sunday after Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) endorsed Republican nominee Mike Rogers, according to the campaign and multiple reports.
The surge marked El-Sayed’s second-best fundraising day since he won the Democratic nomination in August.
His campaign later reported a full-day total of about $2.4 million from more than 65,000 donors (average gift roughly $37), including nearly 30,000 first-time contributors.
Stevens, who lost the August primary to the more progressive El-Sayed, had previously endorsed him after the primary.
On Sunday, just two days before the Nov. 3 election, she appeared alongside Rogers at a Detroit church and announced her support for the Republican in a video.
She cited El-Sayed’s statement that she was no longer welcome at a campaign event and referenced disagreements, including over Israel-related messaging and associations.
The move triggered sharp criticism from Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described it as a “despicable betrayal.” Several of Stevens’ staff members resigned in protest, and some House Democrats called for her removal from the party caucus. Rogers welcomed the endorsement, praising her “courage.”
The Democratic National Committee and El-Sayed’s campaign quickly issued a joint fundraising appeal with the subject line “Who this election is actually about.”
In the message, El-Sayed wrote that some would prefer the final days of the race focus on politicians and stated he would “not be distracted.”
El-Sayed had previously raised $2.3 million in the 48 hours after defeating Stevens in the primary.
The Michigan Senate race has been one of the cycle’s most competitive and expensive contests, with El-Sayed holding a significant fundraising edge in quarterly reports while Rogers maintained a cash-on-hand advantage heading into the final stretch, aided by outside spending.
The late infusion arrives with limited time to spend before polls close, as voters decide a seat that could influence Senate control.
El-Sayed, a physician and former public health official, has campaigned on affordability and health care; if elected he would be the first Muslim U.S. senator.
