House Democratic leaders have not yet decided whether to penalize Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., after she backed Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race. Some Democrats have called for Stevens to be removed from the party’s House caucus, but leaders say they will discuss what to do after the elections.
Stevens endorsed Rogers, a former Republican congressman, on Nov. 1, two days before the midterm elections. The endorsement came despite the Democratic Party’s nomination of Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official.
A senior Democratic aide said Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., would likely support House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in deciding how to respond.
“Haley Stevens made a terrible decision, blindsided everyone and isolated herself from the House Democratic Caucus,” Jeffries said. “We will have a discussion about appropriate next steps upon our return.”
Representatives for Jeffries and Aguilar did not respond to requests for comment.
Stevens, a four-term lawmaker, is set to leave Congress at the end of the year. She narrowly lost the Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed and has offered only limited support for his campaign since then. She has also criticized his positions on Israel and his outreach to Jewish and Black voters.
Tensions escalated over the weekend after El-Sayed’s campaign asked Stevens not to attend his events. That came even though she had said she planned to attend a church service with him and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., as part of an effort to mobilize Black voters.
Stevens then appeared at a different church with Rogers and his wife, and went on to endorse the Republican. The move reportedly caught fellow Democrats off guard.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said Stevens had assured her several times over the weekend that she would not endorse Rogers. “I don’t know what changed between late Saturday and Sunday morning,” Dingell said Monday.
The endorsement also led to Stevens’ ouster from the Michigan Democratic Party. State party chairman Curtis Hertel wrote that Stevens “is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.”
In the House, Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., has called for Stevens to be removed from the Democratic caucus. Ramirez accused Stevens of capitulating to what she described as fascism, Islamophobia and racism, and said she was unfit to serve with Democrats. Ramirez did not respond to a request for comment.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., also said Stevens had no place in the party. The IfNotNow movement and other organizations aligned with Democrats have called for her removal from the caucus as well.
In a statement, IfNotNow described Stevens’ endorsement as a betrayal and urged Jeffries to expel her from the caucus and remove her committee assignments. The group said it represents Jewish, Muslim and Democratic voters opposed to President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, which it linked to rising costs and pressure on working families.
If Stevens were removed from the caucus, she would lose access to its weekly meetings at the Capitol. Democrats could also consider changes to her committee assignments, though the process and authority for doing so would depend on House and caucus rules.
Stevens’ communications director also appeared to have left her office. An automated reply to a request for comment said he was no longer working for Stevens as of Nov. 1, the day she endorsed Rogers.
