Democratic leaders stall as Haley Stevens is punished for backing Republican Mike Rogers
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Rep. Haley Stevens is being attacked by Democrats and progressive activists after endorsing Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race, while party leaders delay a disciplinary decision until after the midterm elections.
House Democratic leaders have delayed any decision on possible disciplinary action against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., after she publicly endorsed Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race. The endorsement, announced on Nov. 1, came two days before the midterm elections and triggered predictable fury from several Democratic lawmakers who are now demanding that she be stripped from the House Democratic caucus.
Democratic officials, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the caucus would discuss what steps to take after the elections. Jeffries told POLITICO that Stevens “made a terrible decision, blindsided everyone and isolated herself from the House Democratic caucus.” A senior Democratic aide said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., is likely to support Jeffries’ response.
Stevens, a four-term congresswoman who will leave Congress at the end of the year after narrowly losing the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, has now faced additional backlash from Michigan Democrats. State Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel announced on X that Stevens is no longer a member of the Michigan Democratic Party. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., expressed surprise at the endorsement, noting that Stevens had previously assured her she would not support Rogers.
Other members of Congress, such as Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., have also called for Stevens’ removal, denouncing the endorsement as a betrayal of the party. The IfNotNow movement, a progressive organization, issued a statement urging Jeffries to expel Stevens from the caucus and remove her committee assignments.
If expelled, Stevens would lose access to caucus meetings in the Capitol and could face further action regarding her committee roles, subject to House rules. Attempts to obtain comment from Stevens’ office received an automated response indicating her communications director was no longer with the office as of Nov. 1.