“The View” co-host Sara Haines defended Rep. Haley Stevens’ decision to endorse Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, pushing back against her co-hosts who characterized the move as a betrayal.
Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro argued that Stevens’ endorsement was for the wrong reasons, with Hostin suggesting it was due to a "bruised ego." However, Haines, a registered independent, called the decision "brave," comparing it to Liz Cheney’s cross-party endorsements as an act of conscience.
Stevens stated that El-Sayed’s "anger" and "lack of kindness" were the reasons for her endorsement of Rogers. Haines countered that while there are "a lot of Islamophobia" factors, there are "deep concerns about his beliefs," citing El-Sayed’s past campaigning with Hasan Piker.
“We have got to know when we denounce someone,” Haines said. “And if crossing party lines can be an act of conscience for Liz Cheney, I don’t know why the automatic response was that this was betrayal somehow.”
Haines further elaborated that integrity involves backing principles even when it comes at a personal cost. "The real test is backing them when it costs you something," she said, emphasizing that loyalty to a party must be earned.
Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff criticized Haines’ defense, telling Fox News Digital that Haines was using an issue El-Sayed had already addressed. He argued that Stevens’ endorsement, made after El-Sayed had distanced himself from Piker, seemed inconsistent with Haines's stated concerns about hate speech. Shroff accused Haines of exhibiting a "glaring double standard" by condemning hate from one side while excusing it from another.
Co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Navarro questioned the timing of the endorsement, suggesting El-Sayed’s reluctance to have Stevens campaign with him played a role. Alyssa Farah Griffin, another co-host, acknowledged that Stevens had raised "real issues" about antisemitism and supported Griffin's comparison to Cheney's principled stance.
Representatives for the El-Sayed and Rogers campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Shroff contended that Cheney’s decisions were rooted in concerns about Trump's conduct and democracy, while Stevens's endorsement of Rogers, whose campaign strategy allegedly involves anti-Muslim rhetoric, presented a different context.