Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens faced pointed questions from CNN host Anderson Cooper regarding her last-minute endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan's Senate race, a decision that came after she initially did not endorse Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
During the interview, Cooper questioned Stevens about a reported midnight conversation with Rep. Debbie Dingell, in which Stevens allegedly stated she would not endorse Rogers. Stevens countered that she needed time to reflect and that El-Sayed's campaign had become increasingly hostile, citing a controversial ad from Rebellion PAC that she described as antisemitic. "This is just a weight off my shoulders," Stevens said. "Abdul has been getting angrier and angrier. I was trying to help, and I endorsed him. That [Rebellion PAC] ad was very painful."
Stevens explained her decision by referencing what she perceived as El-Sayed's "anger" and "lack of kindness." She had previously criticized Rogers in an August social media post for being a "rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s dangerous agenda."
Michigan-based political consultant Adrian Hemond commented that the endorsement would have had more impact if it had occurred a month earlier, given that over two million people had already voted. Dingell, who appeared on CNN after Stevens, called the interview "one of the most painful" she had witnessed and expressed concern that the situation had become a distraction.
Far-left streamer Hasan Piker also criticized Stevens' endorsement, suggesting it stemmed from an "obsession with Israel."