Democrats are talking about expelling Haley Stevens after her surprise Republican endorsement

Democrats are talking about expelling Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens from the party following her bombshell endorsement of Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers.At the eleventh hour, Stevens endorsed Rogers instead of Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive Democratic nominee who narrowly defeated her in the Michigan primary. Tension had grown between the pair over their stances on Israel, and Stevens complained of being shut out of El-Sayed’s campaign.Stevens was swiftly kicked out of the Michigan Democratic Party after endorsing the Republican Sunday, and now some members of the Democratic House caucus are giving serious thought to banishing her over the “betrayal.”“A number of members are upset, and I think some people feel that it’s in violation of the rules of our caucus, which say that people are not supposed to support against members of the Democratic Party,” an unnamed Democratic lawmaker told NBC News.“People feel that it’s a terrible betrayal of our party in the last couple of days of the election,” the lawmaker added.Democrats are talking about expelling Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens from the party following her bombshell endorsement of Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers. She stood beside him Sunday after they attended a church service (AP)Another House Democrat called for Stevens’ removal from all committees and said she should not be allowed to attend caucus meetings until the end of her term on January 3, 2027. Her Senate bid ruled her out of running for reelection in the House and she has not revealed her next steps for her career. But Stevens said in a statement that she planned to “help lead” the effort to “build a stronger, more welcoming, more courageous Democratic Party.”Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois said that Stevens “must be removed from the caucus” in a post on X. “Deplorable and embarrassing. Capitulating to fascism, Islamophobia, racism and the policies hurting everyday Americans makes you unfit to serve with the Democratic caucus," Ramirezsaid. “Shame on Haley Stevens.”California Rep. Lateefah Simon told Axios that Stevens should be removed from the caucus, while Washington Rep. Emily Randall also said she’d support the move.Others told NBC News that being out in the cold is punishment enough. “I think her job prospects just vanished. She will get punished plenty,” another lawmaker told the outlet. Stevens lashed out at Democrats who have called for her ouster. ‘Loyalty to a party should never require abandoning your values or judgment,’ she said (AP)Former New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman agreed. “Remaining in the caucus and being shamed by all of her colleagues might be better than being thrown out,” he said.But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the party needed to have “a discussion about appropriate steps” after the election.“Haley Stevens made a terrible decision, blindsided everyone and isolated herself from the House Democratic caucus,” he told Politico. Stevens lashed out at Democrats who have called for her ouster in a lengthy statement posted Monday night on X.“What has troubled me almost as much as this experience is my party’s reaction,” she said. “Instead of asking why a lifelong Democrat reached this point, some leaders rushed to condemn me, question my motives, and push me out. That response reveals something deeply troubling about what is missing in today’s Democratic Party.”“Loyalty to a party should never require abandoning your values or judgment,” Stevens continued. “I still believe in the promise of the Democratic Party. But fulfilling that promise will require something more than loyalty tests and demands for blind obedience.”