Haley Stevens isn’t going quietly.
The congresswoman made waves after unexpectedly endorsing Trump-backed Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate race—but her decision was in vain. The progressive Democrat won on Wednesday morning, leaving Stevens with egg on her face.
Still, Stevens had more to say on Wednesday afternoon. In yet another X post, the congresswoman asserted that her only regret was initially endorsing El-Sayed after he defeated her in a hard-fought primary by roughly a percentage point.
“I recognize that my decision has consequences. All important decisions do,” she wrote. “I don’t regret it, but I am truly sorry that it upset some of my colleagues and people I care about personally.”
Throughout the lengthy statement, it remained unclear what overarching point, if any, Stevens was trying to make, though she repeatedly took veiled jabs at El-Sayed. She reiterated her previous word-salad defenses for rescinding her endorsement of El-Sayed, making almost archaic references to streamer Hasan Piker’s brief appearances alongside the Democrat.
“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 said, omitting that Piker has denied being antisemitic. “But I’ve been taught my whole political life that at the end of an election, you come together and support the winner, and I hoped I could help him moderate. Instead, he got worse.”
Stevens concluded by saying she would not be stepping down from her seat in Congress—though it’s unclear what prompted her to consider the possibility.
“I still believe our party should be big enough for more than one viewpoint,” she said, adding, “I will keep fighting antisemitism wherever it shows up, in either party, for as long as I am in public life.”
Her statement was immediately panned, with commentators accusing her of betraying voters by cozying up to MAGA and urging her to just stop talking.
Stevens’ surprise endorsement of Rogers, whom she had heavily criticized for nearly his entire campaign, drew even more scrutiny because it came days after her fiancé, Jason Turkish, a disability rights lawyer and Democratic donor, unexpectedly endorsed him.
Turkish, who is Jewish, cited tensions between the progressive Muslim and the Jewish community over his criticisms of Israel—though a majority of Jewish voters went on to support El-Sayed.
Earlier this week, a friend of Stevens told The Washington Post that Turkish lobbied the congresswoman to back Rogers, despite her reportedly assuring figures including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that she would remain loyal to her party.
In her statement on Wednesday, Stevens appeared to address such claims—or at least tried to. “As a woman, I have the right to make a decision and to change my mind,” she wrote. She did not elaborate.
