Rep. Haley Stevens‘s Sunday night CNN interview with Anderson Cooper has become one of the most talked-about moments of the midterm season. Stevens was there to explain her stunning 11th-hour endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers over her fellow Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Senate race — and it did not go well, as Variety’s column notes.
Haley Stevens on CNN with Anderson Cooper (Credits: Variety)
What Happened in the CNN Interview
Cooper pressed Stevens repeatedly to explain why she switched her support from El-Sayed — the Democratic nominee who beat her in the August primary — to Rogers just two days before Tuesday’s midterms. Stevens repeatedly deflected, referencing past scrutiny of El-Sayed’s campaign. “You’re not really answering any of my questions, so it’s somewhat frustrating,” Cooper told her, after Stevens said, “It sounds like you’re upset with me too, Anderson.”
The fallout was swift. Fellow Michigan Democrat Rep. Debbie Dingell called it “one of the most painful interviews I’ve ever watched,” and Democratic strategists David Axelrod and Van Jones expressed concern. CNN reported that Stevens’s chief of staff and communications director resigned after the endorsement, while President Donald Trump celebrated her at an Iowa rally, calling her “brave.”
Why Stevens Crossed Party Lines
Stevens said the break came after El-Sayed told her she was no longer welcome in his campaign. The rift reportedly began over an ad by an outside group linking U.S. aid to Israel with rising grocery prices, which Stevens asked El-Sayed to condemn. She announced the endorsement Sunday at a Black church in Detroit, appearing alongside Rogers, and said the decision was “rock solid.” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called it a despicable betrayal. The open Michigan seat is one of the races that will decide control of the Senate on November 3.
Source: Variety — read the full story there.
