Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who is running for U.S. Senate to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, faced allegations of fabricating an endorsement from a local elected official. According to reports, Stevens posted on X to publicly thank Berrien County Commissioner Chokwe Pitchford for endorsing her. However, Pitchford denied the claim, stating, “I literally never endorsed her or heard a word from her team. I promise you, I have not talked to anyone, emailed anyone about endorsements, or even hinted that I would be open to endorsing her.” Stevens later deleted the post thanking Pitchford.

Stevens launched her campaign in April for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, positioning herself against two left-wing challengers. Her campaign website highlights goals such as “bringing down costs for Michigan families, continuing to boost Michigan’s manufacturing and auto industries, and standing up to the Trump-Musk chaos agenda.” The Democratic field includes State Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed, with over 40% of Democratic voters still undecided in the primary. Stevens leads with 24% support, closely followed by El-Sayed at 22%, while McMorrow trails at 11%.

The Stevens campaign attributed the false endorsement claim to a “miscommunication.” A spokesperson for Stevens, Reeves Oyster, told MLive that the issue arose from an error but provided no further details. The campaign cited other endorsements, including from former Speaker Joe Tate, Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, clergy members, and mayors. Pitchford described the situation as “the most strange thing that has ever happened to me in politics,” emphasizing he had not endorsed Stevens or any U.S. Senate candidate.