Haley Stevens defends her GOP endorsement, slams Democratic diatribe in 900-word post

After igniting a Democratic firestorm by pulling her endorsement from her party’s Senate nominee in Michigan, Abdul Al-Sayed, and backing Republican Mike Rogers, Rep. Haley Stevens slammed the attacks on her by fellow partymen and defended her decision in a lengthy post on X before the voting started.

After Democrats publicly branded her a traitor, Stevens said that scrutiny has troubled her “almost as much” as the choice to break ranks in the first place.

In a nearly 900-word post with the title “The Decisions We Make,” Stevens recalled the fast-moving weekend spat that made her rescind her endorsement for El-Sayed. She also denounced the Democratic Party’s efforts to push her out.

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“My decision to withdraw my endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed and support Mike Rogers has angered many Democrats. I understand why. But it was not impulsive, and it was not made for me by anyone else. It was a decision of conscience,” she wrote.

“I endorsed Abdul. I put the party first and hoped we could move forward together. Instead, I was shut out,” she added.

Rift over ads, Tucker Carlson, and Hasan Piker

Stevens then referred to the ads that caused the rift.

“One ad, from a group supporting Abdul, linked the rise in cost of groceries to America’s support for Israel. Another, from Abdul’s own campaign, featured Tucker Carlson, whose racist and anti-Black rhetoric has no place in a Democratic campaign. I heard directly from Black voters, Jewish voters, and others about how deeply these messages hurt. They deserved to be heard, not dismissed,” she said.

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She also raised the issue of Abdul choosing to campaign alongside Hasan Piker, whose rhetoric about Jewish Americans has been deeply disturbing.

Stevens said that Abdul’s decision to embrace Piker in the first place raised serious questions about his judgment and his ability to bring people together.

She also condemned critics for dragging her fiancé into the issue and suggesting that he or others must have made the decision for her, and termed it “sexism dressed up as political analysis”.

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‘We cannot preach inclusion while punishing dissent’

Stevens further said that she was troubled almost as much by her party’s reaction as leaders rushed to condemn her, question motives, and push her out.

“That response reveals something deeply troubling about what is missing in today’s Democratic Party. We cannot preach inclusion while punishing dissent. We cannot promise to heal a divided country if we cannot tolerate disagreement among ourselves. And we cannot build a lasting majority by making Americans feel their concerns are unwelcome,” she said.