‘A Despicable Betrayal’: Democrats Pile on Stevens After Last-Minute Endorsement of Rogers in Michigan Senate Race

Congresswoman Haley Stevens’s decision to endorse the Republican nominee in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race is being met with more than harsh words from her fellow Democrats. She is now facing a host of potential repercussions, including expulsion from the state Democratic party and banishment from her House caucus.Ms. Stevens, who lost the Senate primary race to Abdul El-Sayed this summer, endorsed her competitor shortly after her defeat. However, following a string of contentious exchanges with her vanquisher, Ms. Stevens reversed herself on Sunday, saying Dr. El-Sayed represents “hate.” She then endorsed Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate. “As you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away, and he’s right,” Ms. Stevens said in a video posted on X on Sunday after she and Mr. Rogers spent the morning together at a predominantly black Detroit church. “That’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,” Ms. Stevens said, adding that she is “still a very proud Democrat.”Mr. Rogers, who has consistently run a few points behind Dr. El-Sayed in polls, thanked Ms. Stevens for her bravery. The announcement briefly raised his odds of victory to 32 percent on betting site, Kalshi, the highest it has been this season. Following the short-lived spike, Dr. El-Sayed is still favored by 70 percent of bettors to win, though Kalshi moved it from a “likely D” win to a “lean D” race.“Candidly, I’m glad I’m not running against Haley Stevens today,” a smiling Mr. Rogers said at a joint press conference with the congresswoman. “This is more a statement about standing together against hate.”The announcement was met with swift and fierce condemnation from fellow Democrats. “This is a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens,” said the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, who recruited Ms. Stevens to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator Gary Peters. “Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed, because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors.”Mr. Peters said he and his wife “are extremely disappointed in Haley’s decision.” The retiring senator had endorsed Ms. Stevens in the primary before supporting Dr. El-Sayed.“Michiganders are worried about how they are going to pay their mortgage and fill up their gas tanks, and the ability to afford groceries, healthcare, and housing. They want leaders focused on making their lives more affordable,” added Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, a grande dame of Michigan Democratic politics whose family has held the Ann Arbor-based House seat since 1933. “That’s what they’re talking about, not Congresswoman Stevens’ continued efforts to get attention.” Within hours of her announcement, Ms. Stevens began facing the wrath of apparatchiks in her party. The chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, Curtis Hertel, said in a statement that Ms. Stevens is no longer welcome nor will she be a member of the state party. “Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future,” Mr. Hertel wrote on X. The Michigan Democratic Party’s bylaws do not describe the process by which the state party can remove a member. The state party did not immediately respond to a request for comment; however, her profile was removed from the state party’s website. Shortly after Ms. Stevens’s statement, her chief of staff, Justin German, announced that he and several members of her time were resigning in protest. “We are shocked and heartbroken by Congresswoman Stevens’ decision to support Mike Rogers,” Mr. German said in a statement urging voters to support Dr. El-Sayed. “As of this morning, many members of our team have resigned including myself.”When Ms. Stevens returns to Capitol Hill next week, she could also be punished by her fellow House Democrats. Under the House Democratic Caucus’s internal rules, Ms. Stevens is no longer a member in “good standing” because she violated the prohibition on participating “in campaign activities for any candidate in a partisan federal election who is not a Member of the Democratic Party.” Potential sanctions include being expelled from the caucus or being removed from committee assignments. Were she to be expelled, Ms. Stevens, who gave up her House re-election bid in order to run for the Senate, may be able to find an open embrace on the other side of the aisle. “I’d love to have her,” President Trump said Sunday before an Iowa rally about Ms. Stevens potentially joining the GOP during her final two months in office. He said he planned to “call her and thank her.”Mr. Trump also praised Ms. Stevens online, calling her a “Highly Respected” lawmaker. “Her following is huge, and the level of respect from the People of Michigan, especially our African American and Jewish populations, is virtually unparalleled. Haley said what few people are willing to say,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “She showed great and almost unprecedented loyalty to the Great People of Michigan with what she did.” Facing backlash from within Ms. Stevens’s party ranks, partisan commentators suggested that the Democrats’ “big tent” may not have a place for moderates anymore. “Republicans have driven Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens out of the GOP. Democrats have driven John Fetterman and Haley Stevens out of their party. What does that tell you about who really is the big tent that fights intolerance?”a former George W. Bush spokesman, Ari Fleischer, commented on X.With a nod to political violence, House Speaker Mike Johnson noted that he reached out to Ms. Stevens on Sunday to talk to her about potential threats she may face as a result of the Rogers endorsement. “I’ve spoken to her, encouraged her to stay safe, and to keep speaking the truth,” Mr. Johnson told reporters while traveling with the president. “We’re in a heightened threat environment. Everybody in politics is, and there are dangerous people out there.”The current House Democratic leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, issued a statement reiterating his support for Dr. El-Sayed on Sunday, but he did not mention Ms. Stevens by name.

‘A Despicable Betrayal’: Democrats Pile on Stevens After Last-Minute Endorsement of Rogers in Michigan Senate Race

‘A Despicable Betrayal’: Democrats Pile on Stevens After Last-Minute Endorsement of Rogers in Michigan Senate Race

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