A senior Democrat has endorsed the Republican candidate in her state for the US mid-term elections after a bitter row in her own party over support for Israel.
Haley Stevens, a congresswoman in the swing state of Michigan, refused to back the Democratic candidate for the Senate, Abdul El-Sayed, over his views on the Jewish state.
Dr El-Sayed, a left-winger with a history of critical comments about Israel, defeated Ms Stevens in a primary race earlier in the year.
Their relationship was fraught and reflected deep divisions between centrists and leftists in the Democratic Party about support for Israel.
Dr El-Sayed, who studied at Oxford University in England, has accused Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of “apartheid” and “genocide”.
A controversial advert made by supporters of Dr El-Sayed, although not linked to his campaign, claimed American taxpayer dollars were being used to “kill Palestinians”.
It featured a couple saying they could no longer afford to buy bananas because of how much of American taxpayers’ money was given as Israeli aid.
On October 30, Ms Stevens said she would not support Dr El-Sayed until he disavowed the advert.
His team said he had already made clear that he did not agree with its contents and that it was not affiliated with his campaign, but they did not outright condemn it.
Following the statement, reporting emerged claiming Ms Stevens had been asked by Dr El-Sayed’s camp to stay away from further campaign events, including one the following day at a predominantly black church.
Ms Stevens then posted a video on X with Mike Rogers, Dr El-Sayed’s Republican rival, saying: “I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign.
“Abdul said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away and he’s right.
And that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers.” Ms Stevens’ team, including her chief of staff, quit following the announcement, while several high-profile party figures criticised the “betrayal”.
Dr El-Sayed, speaking to reporters outside a rally on Sunday, said: “At the end of the day, I don’t think about Haley Stevens.
“I’m just less interested in the politics of it all....
