Democrats accuse Haley Stevens of betrayal, demand that she be expelled from caucus for supporting Republican
"Haley Stevens made a terrible decision, blindsided everyone and isolated herself from the House Democratic caucus. We will have a discussion about appropriate next steps upon our return," said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Haley Stevens in a file photo
Representative Haley Stevens became the target of her own party after several Democratic lawmakers called for her expulsion from the House Democratic caucus after she endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race, although party leadership decided to postpone any disciplinary action until after the elections on Tuesday.
The decision was made by Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who was harsh toward his colleague.
"Haley Stevens made a terrible decision, blindsided everyone and isolated herself from the House Democratic caucus. We will have a discussion about appropriate next steps upon our return," he told POLITICO.
According to Fox News, a senior Democratic aide indicated that the caucus chair, Pete Aguilar, will likely align with Jeffries' position.
Stevens announced her endorsement of Rogers on Sunday, Nov. 1, just two days before the election, and against his own party's candidate, the Islamist Abdul El-Sayed, who had defeated her by a narrow margin in the Democratic primary. The congresswoman, who is serving her fourth term, will leave Congress at the end of the year.
Within the caucus, calls for her expulsion came hours later. Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois was one of the first to demand it.
"Capitulating to fascism, Islamophobia, racism and the policies hurting everyday Americans makes you unfit to serve with the Democratic caucus," she wrote on X.
Pramila Jayapal of Washington joined the criticism and stated that Stevens has no place in the party.
The expulsion they are calling for would prevent her from participating in the caucus's weekly meetings on Capitol Hill. Some go even further and are also calling for stripping her of her committee seats — a measure whose scope would still need to be defined according to the party's and the House's internal rules.
That is the claim made by Democratic-aligned organizations such as the IfNotNow movement, which called the endorsement a betrayal and formally asked Jeffries to expel Stevens from the caucus and strip her of her committee assignments.
In Michigan, meanwhile, the punishment has already been handed down. The state Democratic Party chairman, Curtis Hertel, announced on X that Stevens "is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future."
The relationship between Stevens and El-Sayed had already broken down during the primary. Since then, the lawmaker had offered lukewarm support for the candidate and criticized his stance on Israel and his relationship with Jewish and Black voters. Over the weekend, El-Sayed's campaign publicly asked her not to appear at their events. Hours later, Stevens appeared at a Detroit church alongside Rogers and his wife. Rep. Debbie Dingell said her colleague had assured her several times that she would not endorse the Republican. Even her own staff seemed to turn their backs on her, as her communications director left the office on the very day of the announcement.
The move, however, was celebrated by President Donald Trump, who praised her at his rally in Iowa. Polls show El-Sayed with a lead of about three points over Rogers in one of the races that could determine control of the Senate.
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