Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens has defended her controversial endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers following Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s US Senate race.
Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed, initially supported his candidacy before switching her endorsement to Rogers shortly before the midterm elections.
In a lengthy social media post on Wednesday, Stevens accused El-Sayed of becoming more extreme and criticised his association with political commentator Hasan Piker.
“As co-chair of the House caucus on antisemitism, endorsing a man who stood with Hasan Piker and his antisemitic bile was always a tough fit for me,” she wrote.
Stevens said she originally hoped to help moderate El-Sayed’s political positions but became increasingly dissatisfied.
“The endorsement was the outlier act. Rescinding it was not,” she added.
Despite the backlash from fellow Democrats, Stevens maintained her commitment to the party.
“I was elected as a Democrat, and I still believe our party should be big enough for more than one viewpoint,” she said.
Meanwhile, El-Sayed, who is set to become the first Muslim US senator, told the Associated Press that voters had rejected “a hateful, spiteful campaign”.
“Michiganders rejected that. Every single county, every single one, pushed against that,” he said.
Stevens’ endorsement of Rogers had sparked widespread criticism from Democratic leaders and prompted staff resignations.
