Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is not letting go of Rep. Haley Stevens’ stunning decision to back Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race. She now says the Michigan Democrat has effectively switched teams on Capitol Hill.
“She’s been with the Republicans ever since she’s come back. So she’s been on the Republican side of the aisle,” Ocasio-Cortez said on “The Don Lemon Show” in an episode that aired Thursday.
The progressive firebrand, who appeared with Lemon and former Florida Senate candidate Angie Nixon, framed the endorsement as more than a political misstep. She said it “isn’t just about endorsing the Republican … this is about a betrayal.”
“It showed that people were right in advocating for Abdul El-Sayed’s candidacy in the primary over someone like Haley Stevens,” Ocasio-Cortez said, adding, “This is just the epitome of a certain kind of transactional politics. And it’s really sad.”
Ocasio-Cortez said she spoke with Stevens by phone just days before the endorsement and that Stevens told her the rumors about crossing the aisle were not true. Politico reported the two talked for about 25 minutes, and that Stevens afterward texted her thanks for “talking to me and hearing me.”
Stevens had also complained publicly that she wasn’t invited to an Ocasio-Cortez rally for El-Sayed in Pontiac, which is in her own district.
The rift with her party had been building for weeks. Stevens narrowly lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed and endorsed him at first. That support fell apart after reports that El-Sayed no longer wanted her campaigning for him, along with a clash over a campaign ad related to Israel. Two days before the midterms, Stevens attended a church service with Rogers at Perfecting Church in Detroit and then released a video endorsing him. Members of her staff resigned shortly afterward.
Her support did not carry Rogers to victory. El-Sayed won the race with roughly 52.5% of the vote to Rogers’ 45.5%, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Stevens has refused to back down. In a statement after the loss, she cited her “unwavering” support for Israel and wrote, “What mattered more was truth over political convenience.” She also told NewsNation the endorsement was “absolutely” worth it.
Since Congress reconvened, several outlets have reported that Stevens spent a Monday voting session in the House Republican cloakroom. Politico reported her Capitol Hill office appeared empty.
Democratic leaders have been sharply critical. The chair of the Michigan Democratic Party said Stevens is no longer a member of the party, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the endorsement a “terrible decision.” Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, however, urged House Democrats not to remove Stevens from their caucus, amid reports that she intends to caucus with Republicans.
El-Sayed has brushed the whole episode aside. “At the end of the day, I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens,” he told reporters.
Stevens leaves Congress in January.
