On Monday's broadcast of "The View," co-host Sara Haines defended Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens' decision to endorse Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. Haines pushed back against critics who characterized the endorsement as a betrayal.
Co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro argued that Stevens' endorsement was for the wrong reasons. Hostin suggested Stevens' motive might have been a bruised ego, while Stevens stated that El-Sayed's "anger" and "lack of kindness" prompted her endorsement. Haines disagreed, citing concerns about El-Sayed's beliefs and past campaign associations, including with Hasan Piker. Haines drew a parallel to Liz Cheney's decision to cross party lines, suggesting that endorsing a candidate from the opposing party can be an act of conscience.
Haines, who identifies as an independent, described Stevens' move as "brave" and an act of integrity. "Integrity is not just backing your party when you support your party," Haines said. "The real test is backing them when it costs you something."
Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff countered Haines' defense, arguing that it did not align with the facts. He stated that El-Sayed had addressed concerns about Piker's rhetoric and distanced himself from it, well before Stevens' endorsement. Shroff accused Haines of using an issue El-Sayed had already resolved to justify Stevens's endorsement while downplaying Islamophobia on the other side, calling it a "glaring double standard."
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg questioned the timing of the endorsement. Alyssa Farah Griffin, another co-host, acknowledged that Stevens had raised "real issues" regarding antisemitism and compared Stevens' endorsement of Rogers to Liz Cheney's endorsement of Kamala Harris, suggesting that Stevens had the right to make a principled decision.
Shroff disagreed with the Cheney comparison, asserting that Cheney's decision was driven by concerns about Trump's conduct and democracy, whereas Stevens' endorsement of Rogers, in a race where he claims anti-Muslim hate has been a campaign strategy, does not hold up. He added that Stevens' continued criticism of Republicans like Rogers, while endorsing one, seemed contradictory.
