After her bold decision to endorse Republican Mike Rogers, Democrat Haley Stevens has had to deal with an onslaught of hatred from her own side. She sat down with Anderson Cooper to explain her decision, which was even braver.
Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens went on Anderson Cooper’s show and described her endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race as “a weight off my shoulders.”
— Overton (@overton_news) November 2, 2026
CNN viewers aren’t going to like this one bit.
You could tell Cooper immediately wanted to poke holes… pic.twitter.com/kz17T0FxEr
"Well, look, this is just a weight off my shoulders, okay? Abdul has been getting angrier and angrier. I was trying to help and I endorsed him," Stevens said. "That ad was very painful. 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.' And I've never cast a present vote in the Congress, I'm making a decision here, and you know, that's just where I landed on this. I woke up this morning, clear-eyed, fresh, and focused on what was in my heart. And that's that."
In a longer clip from the interview, she goes into more details about why she could no longer stand by El-Sayed.
Haley Stevens calls out Abdul El-Sayed, Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur:
— DSA Watch (@DSA_Watch) November 2, 2026
“I don't like seeing the Democratic nominee standing with a person who said America deserves 9/11.”
“I don't like Hasan’s uncle saying African Americans should wrap themselves in the Israeli flag and call… pic.twitter.com/zjtsu6O5bv
"This level of anger and the things that we are seeing; look, we all want Democrats to win. I'm a really proud Democrat. And, by the way, Abdul's got every other Democrat with him. He just doesn't, you know, have me and a few other people who love this party," Stevens said.
"I'm just wondering what changed," Cooper interjected. "People change their mind I'm just wondering what changed."
"Nothing with me changed, Anderson," she continued. "This is, look, this about Abdul getting angrier and angrier and saying I don't want these people in my campaign."
"But he didn't get angrier from midnight last night to this morning," Cooper said. "Something changed your mind; I'm just curious, was there a specific aspect that changed?"
"Anderson, you certainly weren't on the phone with me at midnight and I don't think I was on the phone either, but I have great respect for Congresswoman Dingell," Stevens replied. "And, you know, she is a pillar of always trying to bring people together."
Later on in the interview, Stevens added, "Anderson, this is a broader point about what's going on in our party. We were just recognizing, look, I haven't cast my vote yet. My neighbors were asking me, they're undecided, they feel the same way."
"So you might change your mind again?" Cooper asked.
"Anderson, my mind is made up," Stevens replied. "I'm rock solid. I'm an independent woman. I made my decision. I still love my party a whole lot ... I really project that Democrats are going to win big."
"I was a Democrat who flipped a Republican seat here in Michigan, and this is also about Michigan," she continued.
"I don't like seeing a Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate campaigning with ... someone who's saying America deserved 9/11. I don't like that. I don't like that that person's uncle is saying African Americans should wrap themselves in the Israeli flag and call themselves Van Jones. I don't like that. I have to make a choice," Stevens said.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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