Haley Stevens spoke publicly for the first time since endorsing Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, telling CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Sunday that she felt a “weight off my shoulders” after making the decision.
During the 15-minute interview, Cooper repeatedly pressed Stevens on why she reversed course after reportedly telling fellow Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell in a phone call Saturday night that she would not support Rogers.
Stevens acknowledged that the conversation happened but did not offer a clear explanation for what prompted her change of heart. “That’s just where I landed with this,” she said. “I woke up this morning clear-eyed, fresh and, you know, focused on what was in my heart, and that’s that.”
When Cooper asked again what had changed, Stevens said she had spent time alone reflecting and writing down her thoughts. She added that while Democrats all want to win, she remains a “really proud Democrat” and believes Abdul El-Sayed has the support of nearly the entire party—apart from her and “a few other people who love this party.”
“Nothing with me changed, Anderson,” said Stevens, who had previously endorsed El-Sayed.
Stevens pointed to El-Sayed’s association with left-wing streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker, as well as a controversial advertisement released by Rebellion PAC. The ad connects the war in Gaza to rising household expenses, showing a couple shopping for groceries as the woman tells her husband to return the eggs because they need to reserve the $7 “for killing Palestinians.” El-Sayed has said his campaign was not involved with the advertisement.
“That ad was very painful,” Stevens said. “There are so many Democrats who want to vote for our Democratic nominee, and they’re just being told, ‘Hey, this is a party you don’t belong in, or this is a campaign you don’t belong in.’”
Stevens told Cooper that she “absolutely” wants Democrats to win control of the Senate after Election Day. She said holding the Michigan seat is critical to the party’s hopes of taking the chamber.
Cooper noted that Stevens had written on social media in August that Rogers would be “another rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s dangerous agenda” and warned, “We can’t afford to give MAGA another Senate seat in November.” He then asked why she now believed it was acceptable to do exactly that.
“Well, why is it OK to have the Democratic Party and a top nominee injecting … this type of anger and lack of kindness?” Stevens responded.
Cooper asked whether she was referring to being excluded from a planned joint appearance with El-Sayed on Sunday.
“Anderson, I was just trying to help this campaign and stand up for people who feel hurt,” Stevens said.
Dingell appeared on CNN immediately after Stevens and called the interview “one of the most painful interviews I have ever watched.”
“I’m very concerned that this has all become a distraction,” Dingell said.
