Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens has launched a blistering attack on her own party in a nearly 900-word statement calling for 'healing' after her extraordinary decision to endorse a Republican for the Senate.
The Michigan lawmaker defended her stunning U-turn in a lengthy post on X on Monday night, accusing fellow Democrats of intolerance, criticizing their candidate Abdul El-Sayed and furiously denying claims her fiancé had influenced her decision.
Stevens, who lost the Democratic Senate primary to El-Sayed in August, insisted she remained a proud Democrat despite throwing her support behind Republican Mike Rogers just two days before the midterm elections.
'My decision to withdraw my endorsement of Abdul El-Sayed and support Mike Rogers has angered many Democrats. I understand why,' she began.
'But it was not impulsive, and it was not made for me by anyone else. It was a decision of conscience.'
The statement, entitled 'The Decisions We Make,' came after a disastrous CNN interview on Sunday night in which Anderson Cooper repeatedly challenged Stevens to explain what had suddenly changed her mind.
It also followed an extraordinary backlash from senior Democrats, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling her endorsement a 'despicable betrayal' and members of her congressional staff resigning in protest.
But rather than apologize, Stevens doubled down, accusing her party of punishing dissent and questioning whether Democrats genuinely believed in the inclusion they preached.
Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens has called for 'healing' within her party after facing a furious backlash over her decision to endorse Republican Mike Rogers
Stevens published a lengthy statement entitled 'The Decisions We Make,' accusing fellow Democrats of punishing dissent and insisting her fiancé had not influenced her decision
Stevens stunned fellow Democrats by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan's Senate seat. She previously warned that the country could not afford another MAGA senator
'Instead of asking why a lifelong Democrat reached this point, some leaders rushed to condemn me, question my motives, and push me out,' she wrote.
'We cannot preach inclusion while punishing dissent. We cannot promise to heal a divided country if we cannot tolerate disagreement among ourselves.'
She also took aim at suggestions that her fiancé, Jason Turkish, had been behind her dramatic switch.
Turkish had separately announced his intention to vote for Rogers before Stevens publicly endorsed the Republican.
'Some critics have also dragged my fiancé into this, suggesting he or others must have made my decision for me,' she complained.
'A woman can serve in Congress, run statewide, and fight for her convictions, and still be told that when she makes a choice people dislike, someone else must be pulling the strings.
'That is sexism dressed up as political analysis. My fiancé has his own views. I have mine. I made this decision, and I am proud of it.'
Stevens then laid out a series of grievances against El-Sayed, claiming she had been excluded from his campaign despite endorsing him following their bitter primary contest.
Stevens took aim at suggestions that her fiancé, Jason Turkish, left, had been behind her dramatic switch. Turkish had previously announced his intention to vote for Rogers
On Sunday night, Stevens appeared on CNN after stunning Democrats by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers over her party's Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed
Anderson Cooper pressed Stevens in a tense live interview as she struggled to explain what changed overnight and why she suddenly flipped to support Rogers
'I was shut out. The endorsement was welcomed; the people behind it seemed to be forgotten,' she wrote.
She singled out an advertisement from an outside group supporting El-Sayed that linked rising grocery prices to American support for Israel.
Another advertisement from El-Sayed's own campaign featured conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, whose appearance Stevens said had upset black and Jewish voters.
'Blaming Israel for the price of eggs and elevating Tucker Carlson are not the way to build trust or bring people together,' she declared.
She also attacked El-Sayed's association with controversial streamer Hasan Piker, accusing him of displaying poor judgment by campaigning alongside someone whose remarks about Jewish Americans she found troubling.
Stevens acknowledged that El-Sayed had condemned Piker's comparison of outreach to Jewish voters in West Bloomfield to canvassing a Ku Klux Klan neighborhood.
But she insisted the candidate's decision to embrace the streamer in the first place raised questions about his suitability for office.
'Once I concluded that Abdul El-Sayed is not fit to serve in the United States Senate, I had to confront who should,' she wrote.
'I chose Mike Rogers, with the hope that he can serve in the tradition of John McCain: a senator willing to put country before party.'
Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed was accused by Stevens of divisive campaigning and poor judgment, with the congresswoman declaring him unfit to serve in the Senate
Dingell, appearing on CNN immediately after Stevens, described Sunday night's exchange as 'one of the most painful interviews I have watched'
The lengthy explanation came barely 24 hours after Stevens struggled to give Cooper a clear answer about the timing of her decision.
Fellow Michigan Democrat Debbie Dingell had said Stevens assured her on Saturday night that she would not endorse Rogers.
Yet the following morning, Stevens appeared alongside the Republican at Detroit's Perfecting Church, abandoning plans to campaign with El-Sayed.
Pressed by Cooper about what had changed overnight, Stevens replied: 'I woke up this morning clear-eyed, fresh and focused on what was in my heart and that's that.'
As the interview became increasingly tense, she accused the CNN host of being upset with her.
'You're not really answering any of my questions, so it's somewhat frustrating,' Cooper responded.
The spectacle delighted Republicans, with President Donald Trump praising Stevens as a 'Highly Respected Democrat' and expressing hope she might join his party.
Her fellow Democrats were considerably less impressed.
Donal Trump praised Stevens' switch to Mike Rogers calling her move 'a thing of bravery'
Haley Stevens stunned fellow Democrats by appearing alongside Republican Mike Rogers at a Detroit-area church service, months after she warned he would be another 'rubber stamp' for Trump
Michigan Democratic Party chairman Curtis Hertel accused her of abandoning her principles, while Dingell described the CNN exchange as 'one of the most painful interviews I have watched.'
Stevens' longtime chief of staff also resigned, declaring: 'We are shocked and heartbroken.'
Despite the condemnation, Stevens ended Monday's statement by insisting she wanted to help rebuild the very party whose Senate candidate she had just abandoned.
'There is healing to be done in Michigan, in our party, and in our country,' she wrote.
'We can build a stronger, more welcoming, more courageous Democratic Party. And I plan to help lead that effort.'
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