Stevens endorses Rogers after church appearance, drawing Democratic backlash
Representative Haley Stevens appeared with Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers at a Detroit church in Michigan and endorsed him on Sunday, November 1, breaking with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, her former primary rival. Democratic leaders condemned her decision: Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called it "a despicable betrayal" and reaffirmed his party’s support for El-Sayed, The Hill reported.
The backlash reached Stevens’ own team. Her former chief of staff, Justin German, said in a statement that many team members had resigned, including himself, and that the team wholeheartedly supported El-Sayed, according to Axios and the Guardian. German said they were "shocked and heartbroken" by Stevens’ decision.
Representative Jamie Raskin told Axios he was "dumbfounded" because Stevens had told him the previous night that she would vote for the Democratic ticket. Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin criticized making such an important election about oneself rather than Michigan residents and democracy, The Hill reported. Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel said Stevens was not a current party member and would not be one in the future.
El-Sayed, speaking to reporters before a Detroit rally, said: "At the end of the day, I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens," the Guardian reported. He said he was more interested in policy than politics and emphasized health care, union rights and opposition to hate. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, praised Stevens’ endorsement and called her decision brave.
Axios also reported dissent among centrist House Democrats, who were not named. One said he would not have made Stevens’ choice but argued that the left needed to understand the consequences of burning bridges. Another blamed El-Sayed for not condemning an outside group’s advertisement and not inviting Stevens to the church event. Stevens had said El-Sayed told her to stay away from his campaign; their dispute followed an advertisement by an outside group linking U.S. aid to Israel to grocery prices. El-Sayed has said he did not agree with the advertisement’s contents. Stevens did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
Background: outside spending in the primary
In the August 4 Democratic Senate primary in Michigan, the United Democracy Project (UDP), a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), spent more than $30 million supporting Stevens and opposing Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. UDP's monthly filings with the Federal Election Commission put its cumulative spending in that primary at about $30.66 million through August 3. These were independent expenditures, not money paid directly to Stevens's campaign.
The wider total included spending by other groups, not just AIPAC. Al Jazeera reported on August 2 that more than $54 million in reported PAC spending, plus an estimated $6.5 million in pro-Stevens advertising by the Center for Democratic Priorities, brought the combined figure to more than $60 million. A Stronger Michigan accounted for more than $17 million. The $6.5 million advertising estimate was not FEC-reported spending, so the combined estimate should not be treated as a single official campaign-finance total.
Update, November 2: House Democrats discuss removing Stevens from caucus
Some House Democrats want Representative Haley Stevens removed from their caucus after her endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan, Axios reported on November 2. Representatives Lateefah Simon, Marc Veasey and Emily Randall voiced support for removal. A senior House Democrat told Axios there had been private discussions about the idea and that Stevens had been removed from several Democratic text-message groups. Other lawmakers urged waiting until after Tuesday's election or questioned whether the caucus might still need her vote before she leaves Congress. Axios reported discussions, not a decision to expel her.
Axios said Stevens had urged Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed to more forcefully denounce an outside group's advertisement linking U.S. aid to Israel to rising prices. Stevens claimed the advertisement said that Jews were responsible for America's economic troubles. El-Sayed responded that Stevens seemed intent on relitigating a primary that had ended three months earlier. Stevens did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Update, November 2: Jeffries says next steps will be discussed after lawmakers return
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told Politico that Haley Stevens had made a terrible decision and isolated herself from the Democratic caucus by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers. He said Democrats would discuss appropriate next steps after returning to Congress, while their immediate priority was winning Tuesday's elections. The statement did not announce a decision to expel Stevens.
Politico also reported that Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had urged Stevens not to withdraw her endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed before Stevens ultimately backed Rogers. A person familiar with the call described a 25-minute conversation; text messages reviewed by Politico showed Stevens thanking Ocasio-Cortez for speaking with her.
In Michigan, Democratic leaders at a November 1 unity rally outside UAW headquarters in Detroit urged supporters to stay focused on voters rather than the endorsement dispute, Michigan Advance reported on November 2. Representative Debbie Dingell and state Senator Mallory McMorrow emphasized party unity and turning out votes for El-Sayed. The report also said Dingell had brokered a planned church appearance involving Stevens, El-Sayed and Representative Jim Clyburn before Stevens chose to appear with Rogers.
