Haley Stevens faces党内 fire over El-Sayed endorsement

Rep. Haley Stevens is facing sharp criticism from progressive Democrats for not explicitly endorsing her former primary rival, Abdul El-Sayed, on national television.

Stevens appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" on Monday to discuss the Democratic ticket for the upcoming midterm elections. When asked specifically about El-Sayed, she stated, "Well, look, I would just say, if you had asked me if I'm still on the team, I'm on the team." She added that she supports the state party's candidates, including Gov. Jocelyn Benson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, but noted, "I can't say that I agree with everything that's gone on."

The comment drew immediate fire from left-wing activists and commentators on social media. Leah Greenberg, who leads the activist group Indivisible, wrote on X, "It is late October and people are voting every day, if you cannot give a full-throated endorsement to the Democratic nominee who could be the key vote in flipping the Senate, then stay the f, off television." Mehdi Hasan, a political commentator, also criticized Stevens on X, calling her stance "ridiculous" and arguing that her hesitation mirrors the behavior of former rivals in other competitive Senate races.

Other progressive voices joined the critique. Kyle Blomquist, a former congressional candidate, accused Stevens of "practically fawning over Mike Rogers" and said her main ideological commitment is to Zionism. Emma Vigeland, a progressive commentator, wrote on X that Stevens is "sabotaging El-Sayed on national TV, one week before the midterm, to protect her pocketbook and career over democracy." Vigeland suggested that financial and institutional incentives drive Stevens to maintain her position.

Context for the dispute lies in the close Michigan Senate primary earlier this year. El-Sayed defeated Stevens by a one-point margin after Democrat Mallory McMorrow withdrew from the race. El-Sayed received 48.5% of the vote, while Stevens received 47.5%, and McMorrow captured 4%. Stevens had the backing of the party establishment, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. El-Sayed is supported by progressive members of Congress, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Some establishment-aligned Democrats defended Stevens. Strategist Lis Smith responded to Hasan on X, stating that voters clamoring to support candidates in North Carolina and Alaska validates their quality. Smith argued that having candidates people want to associate with is a positive factor in assessing their strength. Fox News Digital reached out to Stevens for comment on the online reaction but did not receive an immediate response.