Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) called it “sexism” Monday to suggest that her fiancé influenced her surprise decision to withdraw support for Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Senate midterm race.
Stevens, who lost the Michigan Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed in August, insisted that her decision to break with her party and endorse Republican Mike Rogers in the closely watched contest “was not made for me by anyone else.”
“My decision to withdraw my endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed and support Mike Rogers has angered many Democrats. I understand why. But it was not impulsive, and it was not made for me by anyone else. It was a decision of conscience,” the congresswoman wrote in a lengthy post on X.
“Some critics have also dragged my fiancé into this, suggesting he or others must have made my decision for me,” Stevens continued. “Think about what that says. A woman can serve in Congress, run statewide and fight for her convictions, yet still be told that when she makes a choice people dislike, someone else must be pulling the strings.
“That is sexism dressed up as political analysis.”
Jason Turkish, a Jewish Democrat, disability rights advocate and Stevens’ fiancé, endorsed Rogers last week, arguing that El-Sayed’s rhetoric was putting Jews in danger.
At the time, Stevens was still supporting El-Sayed and had sought to appear with the Democratic Senate candidate at a campaign event.
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Stevens said she was later told she was “no longer welcome” on El-Sayed’s campaign trail after asking him to disavow an antisemitic campaign ad and comments from left-wing streamer Hasan Piker and Tucker Carlson.
“My fiancé has his own views. I have mine. I made this decision, and I am proud of it,” she wrote. “Do not question my independence simply because you disagree with my conclusion.”
Stevens said that after determining El-Sayed was “not fit to serve,” she chose to support Rogers, hoping he would 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 said the Democratic backlash to her endorsement came as a shock.
“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. We cannot promise to heal a divided country if we cannot tolerate disagreement within our own ranks. And we cannot build a lasting majority by making Americans feel that their concerns are unwelcome.”
Stevens indicated that she plans to remain a Democrat and “help lead” an effort to build “a stronger, more welcoming, more courageous Democratic Party.”
