House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says party leaders will consider disciplinary action against Rep. Haley Stevens after she endorsed Republican Mike Rogers over Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s closely watched Senate election.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday, Nov. 2, that Democrats will consider taking action against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., after she stunned party leaders by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race just two days before the midterm elections.
Stevens, who narrowly lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed in August, appeared alongside Rogers at a Detroit church Sunday and announced she would support the Republican candidate rather than her party’s nominee.
The endorsement triggered immediate condemnation from Democratic leaders, prompted resignations among Stevens’ congressional staff and intensified divisions within the party as voters prepare to choose a successor to retiring Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich.
In comments to Politico’s Inside Congress newsletter, Jeffries said Stevens had damaged her relationship with the House Democratic Caucus.
“We will have a discussion about appropriate next steps upon our return,” Jeffries said. “Haley Stevens made a terrible decision, blindsided everyone and isolated herself from the House Democratic Caucus.”
Congress is scheduled to return Nov. 9, six days after Tuesday’s election.
The House Democratic Caucus maintains rules prohibiting members in good standing from campaigning for candidates in partisan federal elections who are not Democrats. Stevens’ endorsement has therefore raised questions about whether she could face disciplinary action or lose her standing within the caucus.
Jeffries did not specify what measures Democratic leaders might consider.
The controversy escalated after Stevens appeared with Rogers at Perfecting Church in Detroit on Sunday, abandoning plans to attend a separate event supporting El-Sayed.
Speaking alongside Rogers, Stevens praised the former Republican congressman and framed her decision as a response to political divisions and concerns about antisemitism.
“And he’s right, and that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,” Stevens announced, according to Axios’ account of the endorsement.
Stevens emphasized that she remained a Democrat and intended to support other Democratic candidates on Tuesday’s ballot.
“This is more a statement about standing together against hate and the future of this state and this country than it is anything else,” Rogers told reporters following the church appearance.
Stevens’ decision reversed her earlier pledge to support El-Sayed after he defeated her in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary.
At the time, she had publicly congratulated El-Sayed and committed to helping Democrats retain the Senate seat.
However, tensions between the two campaigns intensified during the final weeks of the general election, particularly over Israel, the war in Gaza and allegations of antisemitism.
Stevens objected to an advertisement from Rebellion PAC, an outside political organization, that linked American military assistance to Israel with rising grocery prices.
She demanded that El-Sayed condemn the advertisement and distance himself from its message.
El-Sayed subsequently said he had not authorized the advertisement and disagreed with its contents.
“I’ve already made it clear that that ad was not made by me, and I do not agree with the contents of that ad,” El-Sayed said, according to Roll Call’s reporting on the dispute.
The disagreement contributed to the cancellation of a planned unity appearance involving Stevens and El-Sayed.
Stevens later told Politico that she believed the Democratic nominee had made clear she was no longer welcome in his campaign.
“Abdul has run a magnificent campaign,” Stevens said. “He just was clear that I wasn’t a part of it. I mean, I respect him. I wish him well. He very well could win. It’s a close race. I mean, I’m voting for the other guy, and maybe some others are too.”
Her endorsement nevertheless surprised senior Democrats who had spoken with her shortly before the announcement.
According to The Washington Post, Stevens had privately assured several Democratic officials that she would not endorse Rogers.
Those officials reportedly included Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Rep. Debbie Dingell.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said he spoke with Stevens for approximately 25 minutes Saturday night and believed she remained committed to supporting Democrats.
“I’m dumbfounded by this turn of events,” Raskin said. “Something doesn’t compute about this whole sequence of events.”
Former Michigan Gov. Jim Blanchard, a longtime Stevens supporter, also said he believed she intended to support El-Sayed after meeting with her Friday evening.
“She was planning on being a team player. She was hopeful about it,” Blanchard said.
The surprise extended to Stevens’ congressional office.
Her chief of staff, Justin German, resigned following the endorsement, along with several other staff members.
German said the decision had shocked members of her team, many of whom continued supporting El-Sayed.
The departures added to the political fallout as Democrats sought to unite supporters around their nominee before Election Day.
Schumer, who had supported Stevens during the Democratic primary, sharply criticized her endorsement.
“This is a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens,” Schumer wrote in a statement reported by CBS Detroit.
He reaffirmed Senate Democrats’ support for El-Sayed, accusing Rogers of supporting President Donald Trump’s political agenda.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also condemned Stevens’ decision, describing it as a betrayal of Michigan families.
Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel issued an equally forceful response.
“Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future,” Hertel wrote.
The statement marked an immediate break between Stevens and state party leadership, although any formal consequences concerning her status within the House Democratic Caucus would require separate consideration.
Other Democrats called for Stevens to be removed from the congressional caucus.
Progressive organizations, including Our Revolution, MPower Change and IfNotNow, also criticized the endorsement and urged party leaders to take disciplinary action.
The backlash contrasts with Stevens’ previous standing among establishment Democrats, many of whom supported her candidacy during the primary.
She entered the Senate race with backing from prominent party figures and a fundraising operation that emphasized her congressional experience.
El-Sayed, a physician and former Wayne County health director, defeated her in a closely contested primary that exposed disagreements within Michigan’s Democratic coalition.
The primary centered partly on differences over American policy toward Israel, the Gaza conflict and the party’s approach to economic issues.
Following his victory, Democratic leaders sought to bring Stevens’ supporters into El-Sayed’s general election campaign.
Those efforts became increasingly strained before Stevens publicly endorsed Rogers.
The endorsement also produced an immediate response from Trump, who praised Stevens for crossing party lines.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Iowa Sunday, Trump described her decision as courageous.
“I don’t know Haley. I’ve never met Haley. But Haley said what few people were willing to say,” Trump said.
“I’d love her to join the Republican Party actually.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also welcomed the endorsement and said he had contacted Stevens after her announcement.
Republicans portrayed the development as evidence of divisions within the Democratic Party over El-Sayed’s candidacy and his positions on Israel.
Rogers, a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has emphasized national security, immigration enforcement and his support for Trump’s administration during the campaign.
El-Sayed has focused on health care, economic affordability and changes to campaign finance laws.
The candidates are competing for a Senate seat held by Democrats since 2001.
Michigan’s election has attracted national attention because control of the Senate could depend on closely contested races in several states.
Republicans entered the election defending a 53-47 majority, including two independents who caucus with Democrats.
Democrats need a net gain of four seats to obtain a 51-seat majority.
Losing Michigan’s open Democratic seat would complicate that objective by requiring additional gains elsewhere.
The timing of Stevens’ endorsement has therefore intensified criticism from Democrats who believe party unity is essential to retaining the seat.
El-Sayed has largely avoided engaging directly with the controversy during his final campaign appearances.
“At the end of the day I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens,” he told reporters Sunday.
Instead, he said he remained focused on his policy agenda, including lowering household costs, expanding health care access and reducing the influence of money in politics.
The endorsement has also produced an unexpected fundraising surge for his campaign.
According to The Washington Post’s Nov. 2 report, El-Sayed’s campaign said it raised approximately $2.4 million Sunday after Stevens announced her support for Rogers.
The campaign reported more than 65,000 contributions, including nearly 30,000 from first-time donors.
The average donation was approximately $37.
Democratic officials also reported increased volunteer activity following the announcement.
Those developments suggest the endorsement has generated reactions among both Republican and Democratic supporters, although its effect on the election remains uncertain.
More than 2 million Michigan voters had already cast ballots before Election Day, limiting the number of voters who could respond to the controversy through ballots not yet submitted.
The remaining electorate includes voters who may be influenced by the endorsement, but their preferences cannot be determined from the announcement alone.
The controversy also raises questions about Stevens’ future political affiliation and her relationship with Democratic leadership.
Despite publicly supporting Rogers, Stevens has said she remains committed to the Democratic Party and wants Democrats to control the Senate.
She has not announced that she intends to switch parties.
Her congressional term expires in January 2027, and she is not seeking reelection to the House.
Any disciplinary action considered by House Democrats would therefore occur during the closing weeks of her congressional service.
The Democratic Caucus could consider measures involving membership, participation in party activities or other internal consequences, but Jeffries has not announced a specific proposal.
His comments indicate that party leaders intend to address the matter after the election rather than during the final hours of campaigning.
For now, the immediate political consequences include public condemnation from Democratic leaders, resignations among Stevens’ staff and a strengthened fundraising response from El-Sayed’s supporters.
Republicans have welcomed Stevens’ endorsement as a significant cross-party development in a closely watched Senate race.
The dispute also reflects continuing disagreements within the Democratic Party over Israel, the Gaza conflict and the direction of the party’s foreign policy.
Stevens has characterized her decision as a matter of principle, while Democratic leaders have argued that supporting Rogers undermines their efforts to retain Michigan’s Senate seat.
As voters head to the polls Tuesday, the controversy remains unresolved.
Jeffries’ promise to discuss “appropriate next steps” when Congress reconvenes Nov. 9 leaves open the possibility of formal action against Stevens, depending on decisions made by House Democratic leadership and the caucus.
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