Michigan Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens is in quite the political pickle. Her fiancé, Jason Turkish, is a lifelong Democrat. But he’s voting for Republican Mike Rogers in the Senate race. Turkish accuses Democratic nominee Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed of putting Michigan’s Jewish community at risk. El-Sayed also happens to be the man who defeated Stevens in the primary. And she’s still backing him. Talk about a house divided.

Down here in the South, when we talk about a house divided, we usually mean somebody married an Auburn fan. Or maybe a Georgia Bulldog. One spouse yells Roll Tide, the other yells War Eagle or Go Dawgs, and Saturdays during football season become a test of the marriage vows.

Up in Michigan, Congresswoman Haley Stevens’ fiancé might as well have announced he’s an Ohio State Buckeyes fan.

But Jason Turkish isn’t talking football.

Jason Turkish, fiancé of U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, explains why he’s voting for Republican Mike Rogers in the U.S. Senate race over Abdul El-Sayed, who defeated Stevens in the Democratic primary.

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— The Detroit News (@detroitnews) October 29, 2026

Turkish is raising serious concerns about Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed and what he believes is dangerous rhetoric toward Michigan’s Jewish community.

And he’s not the only Democrat sounding the alarm.

A former Democratic official from the Senate campaigns of Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) said he is voting for former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican, in Michigan’s 2026 Senate race.

David Kramer, an alumnus of several Michigan Democratic campaigns and a board member of the Democratic Majority for Israel, told Jewish Insider on Tuesday that he would vote for Rogers over Democrat Abdul el Sayed in Michigan’s Senate race. Kramer’s defection from the Democratic candidate in favor of Rogers comes as el Sayed has struggled to shore up the Jewish Democratic vote throughout much of the race.

Stevens’ fiancé isn’t some Republican looking to stir up trouble. He’s a Jewish civil rights attorney and longtime Democratic donor. He’s spent years supporting Democrats. But Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed is one Democrat he won’t support.

And he’s got his reasons. He says El-Sayed’s rhetoric about Israel has gotten worse since the August primary. He accuses the Senate nominee of putting Michigan’s Jewish community at risk.

Then there’s El-Sayed’s refusal during a debate to say whether Israel or Iran poses the greater threat to America. That didn’t exactly help his case with Turkish.

And What Does Abdul Have to Say?

El-Sayed’s response to Turkish’s concerns was practically a verbal shrug. A Jewish Democrat accuses him of rhetoric that puts his community at risk, and Abdul goes right back to whining about Donald Trump. It might as well have been, “Yep. And?”

Little man syndrome plus an inflated sense of self-importance equals pure arrogance.

Turkish is talking about death threats against Jews, and Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed is busy rattling off his memorized lines about fighting Trump instead of answering for himself.

Meanwhile, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed has plenty of young progressives eating up his promises. Just watch the voters in this NewsNation report. They want big changes, more government programs, and somebody to stick it to the rich. But there’s another side to this race. Jewish Americans concerned about El-Sayed’s rhetoric aren’t asking for another campaign sales pitch. They’re asking for their concerns about safety to be taken seriously.

Meanwhile, Back at the Stevens Household…

Stevens got beat by El-Sayed, and now she’s expected to smile, play nice, and vote for him. Her fiancé and former campaign chairman aren’t playing along. They’re voting for Rogers.

So is Haley genuinely sold on Abdul, or is she just unwilling to tick off the Democratic Party? Funny how party loyalty gets complicated when the people closest to your campaign start jumping ship.

Country Before Party. Terms and Conditions Apply.

We’ve spent years hearing about the courage of Never Trump Republicans who crossed party lines to support Democrats. They told us they were putting country before party, standing on principle, refusing to fall in line. Now people like Tim Miller of The Bulwark want to dismiss Jason Turkish’s decision as sour grapes because his fiancée lost the primary. Funny how standing on principle suddenly becomes a problem when a Democrat decides to vote Republican.

So which is it, Tim? Country before party, or country before party only when you’re voting for a Democrat?

Now Jason Turkish, a lifelong Democrat, says he can’t support his party’s nominee because of his concerns about Jewish safety. Does he get the same respect? Or does the fact that his fiancée lost to Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed make it easier to write him off as a sore loser?

Oh, do crawl back under your Bulwark, Tim.

The applause for crossing party lines seems to come with one little condition. You’d better be crossing from right to left. Go the other way, and suddenly nobody wants to talk about principles anymore. It’s straight to the personal attacks and accusations of being “butthurt.” Quite the sophisticated response to someone taking a stand.

Feature Image: AI-generated illustration.