So, cross-party politics and what Nigerians commonly describe as anti-party activities also happen in the United States? Apparently, yes!
Nigeria is not the only country where politicians sometimes abandon traditional party loyalties to support candidates from opposing political parties. American politics also has examples of former lawmakers and influential political figures publicly endorsing candidates outside their own political affiliations.
The latest development in Michigan has brought this reality into focus, following an endorsement of Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers by former Democratic Congressman Hansen Clarke.
What happened in Michigan?
According to reports published on November 1, 2026, Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers against Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, just two days before Michigan's November 3 Senate election. The development was particularly remarkable because Stevens had previously indicated that she would support her party's nominee after losing the Democratic primary to El-Sayed.
The dispute followed weeks of political tension between the two Democrats. Their disagreements included campaign messaging, criticism surrounding Israel, outside political advertising and El-Sayed's association with political commentator Hasan Piker.
Stevens eventually announced that El-Sayed had made it clear she was no longer welcome in his campaign, adding that she was therefore endorsing Rogers. She also maintained that she remained a Democrat.
This is where the Nigerian political comparison becomes interesting. A politician does not necessarily have to defect formally from a political party to undermine or weaken the electoral chances of its candidate. Publicly campaigning for, endorsing or voting for an opposing party's candidate can have significant political consequences.
Democrats react angrily to the endorsement
The endorsement did not go down well with Democratic leaders. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described Stevens' decision as a betrayal, while Michigan Democratic Party figures criticised her for supporting the Republican candidate.
Republicans, on the other hand, welcomed the development, viewing it as an opportunity to attract voters who might otherwise have supported the Democratic nominee.
President Donald Trump also praised Stevens for her decision, describing it as an act of loyalty to Michigan.
Meanwhile, El-Sayed appeared determined not to allow the controversy to derail his campaign. Rather than concentrating on Stevens, he redirected attention towards the millions of Michigan residents whose economic and social concerns, he argued, deserved greater attention.
Is this not what Nigerians call anti-party politics?
This development raises an interesting question for Nigerian politicians and political commentators.
In Nigeria, whenever a member of a political party openly supports an opposing party's candidate, the action is frequently described as anti-party activity. Such politicians can face accusations of betrayal, disloyalty and working against their own political family.
But America demonstrates that party affiliation does not always translate into unquestionable loyalty to a party's candidate.
Politicians can disagree with their party's decisions, reject its candidate and publicly support an opponent. Such decisions can attract criticism, political consequences and even demands for disciplinary action.
Of course, cross-party endorsements in America are not automatically classified as formal anti-party offences. The political and legal circumstances differ, and individual endorsements do not necessarily mean that a politician has abandoned their party.
Nevertheless, the underlying political reality is familiar: party loyalty and personal political convictions do not always go together.
Perhaps Nigerian politicians should stop pretending that this behaviour is exclusive to Nigerian politics. Even in the United States, where democratic institutions are often presented as models for other countries, political interests, internal disagreements, personal convictions and electoral calculations can take precedence over party loyalty.
The real question is whether politicians are supporting candidates because they genuinely believe in their policies or because of personal disagreements, political calculations and the desire to settle scores.
One thing is certain: American politics is not immune to the kind of political drama Nigerians often describe as anti-party activities.
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