Michigan Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens has sought protection from the US Marshals Service after receiving death threats following her endorsement of Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, Axios reported Tuesday, citing two senior Trump administration officials.
Stevens, who lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, stunned members of her party on Sunday when she announced that she would support Rogers, the Republican nominee, in Tuesday's closely contested Michigan Senate election.
The endorsement prompted sharp criticism from fellow Democrats and the resignation of several of her senior staff members.
"She has received death threats and reached out to the Marshals Service," one administration official told Axios. "There's a process to go through but she's a member of Congress and we expect her request will be fulfilled."
Stevens could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The congresswoman's decision followed a contentious Democratic primary in which her support for Israel contrasted sharply with El-Sayed's criticism of the Jewish state.
Among the sources of tension were El-Sayed's connections to progressive streamer Hasan Piker and an advertisement produced by a political action committee associated with Piker's uncle, Cenk Uygur, which blamed Israel for rising grocery prices.
Although El-Sayed disavowed the advertisement, Stevens maintained that he had failed to adequately address her concerns. She also declined to assist his campaign after the primary.
The dispute intensified when Stevens was informed that she was no longer welcome at El-Sayed's campaign events. On Sunday, she appeared alongside Rogers at a church service before publicly endorsing him.
El-Sayed had faced repeated criticism throughout the campaign over his opposition to US military assistance to Israel and his reluctance to directly address questions about Israel's right to exist.
During the Democratic primary, he characterized Israeli military operations as "bloodthirsty" and accused Israel's government of genocide.
In other interviews, El-Sayed acknowledged that Hamas had committed war crimes but described Israel's leadership as "as evil as Hamas." More recently, he argued in an ABC News interview that Israel should no longer be regarded as an American ally.
President Donald Trump welcomed Stevens' decision to support Rogers and expressed interest in having her join the Republican Party.
Speaking to reporters outside Air Force One alongside senior Republican officials, Trump praised the Democratic congresswoman for breaking with her party's Senate nominee.
Asked whether he had contacted Stevens following her endorsement, Trump responded, “Not much to reach out, just [to] call her and thank her. She did the right thing."
When asked whether he would welcome Stevens into the Republican Party, Trump replied, “I’d love to have her."