Congresswoman Haley Stevens has been expelled from the Democratic Party after announcing Sunday that she would back Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed, just 48 hours before voters head to the polls.
The Michigan Democrat said she planned to vote for Rogers in the midterm election after accusing her former primary opponent, El-Sayed, of effectively shutting her out by ending his campaign with the message that she was not welcome.
Stevens said she had never been invited to one of El-Sayed’s campaign events, though she insisted that lack of access was not the real issue. “I’ve run primary campaigns myself, and I understand how busy it can be,” she said. “This is about leadership, integrity and being willing to look honestly at yourself.”
Despite endorsing the Republican candidate, Stevens emphasized that she remains “a very proud Democrat.”
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel, however, said Stevens no longer had a place in the organization. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, welcomed the congresswoman to the Republican Party.
“Congresswoman Stevens is not currently a member of the Michigan Democratic Party, and she will not be a member in the future,” Hertel wrote on social media.
In comments to reporters, Hertel sharply criticized Stevens’ endorsement of Rogers. He likened the dispute to a high school clique feud and accused her of abandoning the voters who elected her at a critical moment.
“You don’t abandon your principles because this isn’t high school,” Hertel said. “This isn’t drama club or glee club. This is the Democratic Party, and we believe it can be a force for good in the world.”
Congresswoman Haley Stevens was expelled from the Democratic Party after announcing that she would support Abdul El-Sayed’s Republican opponent
Stevens said she would vote for Representative Mike Rogers instead of El-Sayed in the midterm Senate race
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said on social media that Stevens was no longer welcome in the party
“If you belong to this party, you believe electing Democrats will improve people’s lives. I suppose she believed that throughout her career—until now,” Hertel said.
Hertel also dismissed Stevens’ explanation that she withheld her endorsement because she had not been invited to campaign events. He suggested the decision was instead driven by lingering resentment after her narrow primary defeat to El-Sayed three months earlier.
“There is no reasonable justification for this,” Hertel said. “I’ve known Haley Stevens for many years, and I know what she has stood for in her career. This decision represents the complete opposite of those principles.”
“At this point, she has turned her back on the person she has been, and none of us can stand behind that,” Hertel added.
“The people of Michigan have been betrayed. The people who supported her have been betrayed,” he said.
“Elections are not supposed to be about us,” Hertel continued. “They are about the causes and principles we are fighting for.”
The state party chair also warned that Rogers would serve as “a rubber stamp” for Donald Trump and the policies Hertel said had fueled division and hostility.
Hertel further condemned Stevens for claiming to speak for Black voters while supporting a candidate backed by politicians who, he alleged, sought to weaken the Voting Rights Act. He also criticized the Republican platform over violence in cities, tax cuts for billionaires and reductions in access to healthcare.
“Either Haley Stevens is not the person she claimed to be, or something is seriously wrong with her right now,” Hertel said.
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel made clear that the congresswoman is no longer welcome in the party
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said on Sunday Stevens ‘was very brave’ to cross the aisle and endorse a Republican.
‘I don’t know Haley, I’ve never met Haley. But Haley said what few people were willing to say,’ he told reporters ahead of a rally in Iowa.
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‘I’d love her to join the Republican Party actually,’ he said.
The unusual scene comes amid a midterms battle in Michigan that is marred with Democratic infighting. It’s understood Stevens was meant to go to church with El-Sayed instead, but those plans did not go ahead as their relationship soured.
The strained relationship among the Michigan Democrats started when Stevens’s fiancé, Jason Turkish, said Wednesday that he would be casting a vote for El-Sayed’s opponent, Rogers.
Stevens appeared on CNN hours later to reaffirm that she would be voting for El-Sayed, but urged his campaign to ‘shut out the hate and call it out.’
On Thursday, the two seemed to make amends and scheduled a Sunday campaign event at a church in Detroit with South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, an influential Democrat seen as a major force in Joe Biden’s 2020 primary win.
Stevens then released a social media statement on Friday criticizing El-Sayed and demanding he condemn an ad linking US support for Israel to rising grocery prices.
Stevens’ fiancé, Jason Turkish, said Wednesday that he would be casting a vote for Republican candidate Mike Rogers
President Donald Trump said Sunday he would welcome Stevens into the Republican party
The ad features moments during conversations in a grocery store, including one where a woman tells a man she can’t afford eggs because they had to use their money ‘killing Palestinians.’
El-Sayed’s campaign has noted that the ad was not made or endorsed by the campaign and said it ‘has always been focused on addressing the most critical challenges Michiganders are facing.’
El-Sayed himself told reporters on Saturday that he did ‘not agree with the contents of that ad.’
In response, Stevens said she was glad to see El-Sayed say he did not agree ‘with the content of the vile… ad which claimed Israel and Jews were to blame for the high costs of groceries.’
She did not refer to El-Sayed by name and only called him ‘our senate nominee,’ according to the statement reported by Semafor’s Nicholas Wu.
But El-Sayed’s campaign then asked Stevens to stay away from the church event, MS NOW reported Saturday.
El-Sayed sidestepped questions from reporters about whether he wanted Stevens to appear with him, saying that she ‘wants to talk about other things.’
When directly asked if Stevens was ‘trying to rat f***’ his campaign, he laughed and said: ‘That is not a question for me.’
El-Sayed sidestepped questions about his campaign’s refusal to appear with Stevens
Instead, Stevens was seen Sunday strutting into the church and hugging Rogers, before announcing that the Republican would take on her initiative of investing in black businesses.
Just minutes after the church service ended, Stevens held a press conference to announce her formal endorsement of the Republican.
She said that her own household was ‘divided – until last night’ when she decided to cast her ballot for Rogers. Stevens noted that her party comrade El-Sayed made it clear that he did not need her help for the rest of his ongoing campaign.
Stevens, who also reiterated her unwavering dedication to the Democratic Party, said: ‘My vote will be with Mike Rogers. Because we have to stand with country.
‘We cannot stand for hate.
‘Abdul was very clear when he said “don’t come.” Everyone can take a look at the facts. This is about leadership and integrity.’
Rogers then said: ‘I am honored to have Haley Stevens’s support and her vote today. I’m candidly happy I’m not running against [her].’