Rep. Haley Stevens' mother, Maria Marcotte, has defended her daughter's decision to endorse Republican Mike Rogers, rejecting claims that Stevens' fiancé, Jason Turkish, a Jewish disability rights advocate, influenced the move. Marcotte stated that she and her daughter are not the "kind of women to be brainwashed," denouncing the speculation as "misogyny."
Stevens, a Democrat from Michigan, announced her endorsement of Rogers, a Republican, on Sunday, a move that bucked her party. This decision came after she had previously backed Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. Stevens cited El-Sayed's strong stance against Israel as a significant factor in her decision.
"It was obsessive, obsessive, obsessive," Stevens told the Free Press, referring to El-Sayed's focus on Israel. She elaborated on her decision in an interview published Monday.
Former Michigan Governor Jim Blanchard, a Democrat, suggested that Turkish may have pressured Stevens. Blanchard recounted a dinner with Stevens and Turkish shortly before the endorsement, during which he claimed Turkish expressed disappointment that Stevens had not been more successful in her primary race and was being urged to switch her support.
Turkish, who is descended from Holocaust survivors, declined to be interviewed. Stevens' mother reiterated that no one pressured her daughter.