House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) indicated Democratic leaders could discuss disciplinary action against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) after she broke with her party to endorse Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers, deepening an already bitter divide among Michigan Democrats.
Jeffries accused Stevens of bucking the Democratic Party by backing Rogers over Democratic nominee Abdul el Sayed, joining a chorus of other Democratic leaders who have rebuked her.
“Haley Stevens made a terrible decision, blindsided everyone and isolated herself from the House Democratic caucus,” Jeffries told Politico. “We will have a discussion about appropriate next steps upon our return.”
Stevens announced her decision in a video Sunday, saying she no longer felt she belonged in el Sayed’s campaign despite initially endorsing him after losing the Democratic primary.
“I’m still a very proud Democrat,” she said. “I’m just letting you know where I am.”
The reversal triggered an immediate backlash from Democratic leaders and Stevens’s own staff. Her chief of staff, Justin German, and communications director, Logan Basch, resigned shortly after the announcement. German, speaking on behalf of the staff, said they were “shocked and heartbroken” by Stevens’s decision.
Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel also announced Stevens was no longer a member of the state party, saying she would not be welcomed back. He suggested something was “very wrong with her right now.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called the endorsement a “despicable betrayal,” while former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) accused Stevens of abandoning Michigan families by backing Rogers.
“Haley Stevens has chosen to dangerously betray Michigan families’ healthcare, freedoms and future with her horrific endorsement of Mike Rogers,” Pelosi wrote on X, adding that el Sayed must win.
The fallout follows months of tension between Stevens and el Sayed, whose primary contest exposed deep divisions among Michigan Democrats over Israel and antisemitism. Stevens had repeatedly criticized el Sayed for his comments on Israel and his association with controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who has faced accusations of antisemitism over his remarks about the Jewish state and support for Hamas.
The dispute escalated last week after Rebellion PAC, a super PAC run by Piker’s uncle, Cenk Uygur, released an ad supporting el Sayed that blamed Israel’s war in Gaza for economic problems in Michigan. Stevens and other Democrats condemned the advertisement and called on el Sayed to disavow it. He refused, accusing Stevens of trying to “relitigate a primary that ended three months ago.”
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Michigan is among the most competitive Senate races of the midterm cycle, with control of the chamber possibly hinging on the outcome.
RealClearPolitics’s latest polling average gives el Sayed an advantage of more than 5 percentage points over Rogers, despite the growing Democratic infighting.