Dem Haley Stevens Opens Up About Facing Leftist Rage, Concludes 'El-Sayed Is Not Fit to Serve'
A day after Michigan Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens pulled her endorsement of Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and endorsed Republican nominee Mike Rogers, she released a lengthy statement to social media defending herself from critics on the left.
Measuring nearly 900 words, the statement included a fierce critique of her fellow Democrats over the way they have reacted to her endorsing Rogers.
“Instead of asking why a lifelong Democrat reached this point, some leaders rushed to condemn me, question my motives, and push me out,” she wrote. “That response reveals something deeply troubling about what is missing in today’s Democratic Party.”
“We cannot preach inclusion while punishing dissent,” she continued. “We cannot promise to heal a divided country if we cannot tolerate disagreement among ourselves. And we cannot build a lasting majority by making Americans feel their concerns are unwelcome.”
“Loyalty to a party should never require abandoning your values or judgment,” Stevens added.
The statement was published after Curtis Hertel, the chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, released a statement of his own on Sunday announcing that Stevens is no longer a member of the party.
Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.
— Curtis Hertel (@CurtisHertelJr) November 1, 2026
In remarks made later to journalist Sam Robinson, Hertel doubled down, accusing Stevens of having “sour grapes” over having lost her Democratic primary battle this past summer to El-Sayed.
“At this point, she is abandoning who she’s been, and therefore none of us can stand with that,” he insisted. “The people of Michigan are betrayed. The people that support her are betrayed.”
“Elections aren’t about us,” he continued. “They’re about the things that we fight for. Mike Rogers will be a rubber stamp for Donald Trump and all the hate that happens.”
Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel says Haley Stevens abandoned the Democratic Party and is no longer a member of the state party. He criticizes Stevens for rolling out her Mike Rogers endorsement in Detroit, and says she betrayed her supporters. https://t.co/8i8zZp5oW5
— Sam Robinson (@samueljrob) November 1, 2026
Stevens’ statement to social media also included her defending her Democratic bona fides, such as her long-established liberal beliefs.
“I am a proud Democrat and believe in a woman’s right to choose, in organized labor, in opportunity for working families, and in making government work for ordinary people,” Stevens wrote. “None of that has changed.”
The statement continued with her explaining her decision to endorse Rogers.
“After losing the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, I did what I believed was right… I endorsed Abdul,” she wrote. “I put the party first and hoped we could move forward together.”
“Instead, I was shut out,” she added. “The endorsement was welcomed; the people behind it seemed to be forgotten. There was little effort to listen to the voters who supported me or bridge the real disagreements our primary had exposed.”
The final straw was El-Sayed’s alleged anti-Semitism, including an anti-Semitic ad his allies ran blaming Israel for the price of eggs.
“Reasonable people can disagree about Israel, Gaza, and American foreign policy,” Stevens wrote. “But blaming Israel for the price of eggs and elevating Tucker Carlson are not the way to build trust or bring people together.”
All of this led to her endorsing Rogers.
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“Once I concluded that Abdul El-Sayed is not fit to serve in the United States Senate, I had to confront who should,” she wrote. “I chose Mike Rogers, with the hope that he can serve in the tradition of John McCain: a senator willing to put country before party and stand up to his own side when conscience requires it.”
Stevens concluded her statement by calling for better leadership within the modern Democratic Party.
“I still believe in the promise of the Democratic Party. But fulfilling that promise will require something more than loyalty tests and demands for blind obedience,” she wrote. “It will require true leadership.”
“Leaders who listen, even when it is uncomfortable. Leaders who stand against hatred without calculating the political cost. Leaders who understand that bringing people together is more important than forcing them into line,” she added.
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