'Loyalty should never require abandoning values': Haley Stevens defends Rogers midterms endorsement

Stevens claimed that after it was made clear in late October that she was unwelcome at El-Sayed’s campaign events, she began to question his motives.Follow us on GoogleUS Representative Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat and the rival Abdul El-Sayed defeated in the Senate primary, speaks with the media next to Republican US Senate candidate Mike Rogers who she endorsed, after attending the Perfecting Church in Detroit, Michigan, US November 1, 2026.(photo credit: REUTERS/REBECCA COOK)NOVEMBER 3, 2026 13:32Rep. Haley Stevens said that her decision to endorse Republican Michigan Senate nominee Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed was “ a decision of conscience" ahead of the start of the US midterm elections on Tuesday.In a late Monday post, Stevens wrote that she was troubled by political ads associated with El-Sayed, along with the way she was treated by his campaign after she endorsed him after losing the primaries in August.She wrote that after it was made clear in late October that she was unwelcome at El-Sayed’s campaign events, she began to question his motives.“If a candidate cannot make room for people who supported his primary opponent, how will he represent an entire state filled with people who disagree with him?” she wrote.She also dismissed rumors that her fiancé, Jewish megadonor Jason Turkish, influenced her decision to withdraw her endorsement. Turkish had previously announced his intentions to vote for Rogers, despite the fact that he usually votes Democrat.“That is sexism dressed up as political analysis,” she wrote. “My fiancé has his own views. I have mine. I made this decision, and I am proud of it. Do not question my independence simply because you disagree with my conclusion.”U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI) and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens participate in a televised U.S. Senate debate moderated by Roop Raj from Fox 2 at Fox 2 Studios in Southfield, Michigan, U.S., July 27, 2026. (credit: Robin Buckson/Pool via REUTERS)Michigan Rep. Hayley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers, gets ousted from the Democratic PartyShe noted that she hoped Rogers could serve Michigan in the “tradition of John McCain: a senator willing to put country before party and stand up to his own side when conscience requires it.”She also noted that she was “troubled” by the Democrats’ reaction to her backtracking on her endorsement.Notably, Stevens was expelled by the Democratic Party about an hour after she endorsed Rogers on Sunday.Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel noted that she “is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.”In her post, Stevens said that some party leaders “rushed to condemn me, question my motives, and push me out.“Loyalty to a party should never require abandoning your values or judgment.”In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Sunday, Stevens continually stated that her opinions of El-Sayed changed because she believed he had grown “angrier and angrier” in his campaigning. However, she did not name specific instances or examples of such behavior.Stevens did mention a recent ad that was produced by an independent PAC in support of El-Sayed that blamed rising grocery prices on US aid to Israel.However, as Cooper noted, El-Sayed distanced himself from the ad. His campaign recently said in a statement that it was “not affiliated in any way with the Abdul for Senate campaign.”Stevens said that her change of heart was due to a “broader point about what’s going on in our party.”It should be noted that until Sunday, Stevens said she was voting Democrat.“I’m voting for the Democratic ticket. But I want to encourage this campaign to shut out the hate and to call it out and to make people who are in my coalition, make them feel comfortable about coming to the polls,” she told CNN on Wednesday.Follow us on Google