Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) was candid about her primary election loss to Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul el Sayed this week, saying she is still in the Democratic Party and will support her party’s candidate even if centrist candidates like her “aren’t winning.”
Stevens, the establishment-backed candidate in Michigan who had the support of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), fell to el Sayed by over 15,000 votes last Tuesday. Her loss marked the latest blow for the Democratic establishment and a win for the progressive, socialist wing of the party. Despite her loss, the congresswoman lined up behind el Sayed, endorsing him in the general election against GOP candidate, former Rep. Mike Rogers.
“That’s called democracy,” Stevens said in a Fox News interview on Tuesday about her endorsement of el Sayed. “You don’t sign up for a Democratic Party to be salty grapes and, you know, just continue to hold a grudge.”
She also touted her bipartisan record, standing by her centrist values even though she didn’t win her party’s primary in the purple state.
“I believe in democracy — he won the majority of the votes,” Stevens told the outlet. “I’m going to continue to stand by my positions. I’m a Zionist Democrat. I am a Democrat who gets endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO. I have been recognized over and over again as one of our most effective lawmakers. I identify problems, and I solve them.”
“I’m a patriot,” Stevens continued. “I love our freedoms. I love this country, and yes, I’m still in the Democratic Party, even though folks like me maybe aren’t winning our primaries.”
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El Sayed will now take on Rogers in November, boasting the backing of both of his primary challengers, Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow. The open race to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) is rated a “toss-up,” with Republicans hoping to capitalize on the progressive nomination in a state President Donald Trump won in 2024 and 2016.
Midwestern Democrats will have their next primary test of the party’s progressive brand on Tuesday in Wisconsin, where socialist Francesca Hong hopes to win the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.