That was fast. One moment Representative Haley Stevens, who was defeated by Abdul El-Sayed in the primary for US Senate in Michigan, was supposed to mend fences with the Democratic candidate at a party unity event in Detroit. The next she’s endorsing Mike Rogers, his Republican opponent. A chaotic press conference on Sunday ended with Stevens declaring that no candidate is “perfect” and being heckled as a “traitor” before she was hustled away by the Rogers camp.
Why did she do it? One answer is the virago theory. Angered by her loss, she’s having a public meltdown. Another is that El-Sayed treated her poorly. He’s hardly short on arrogance and Stevens had her fill of it. Her own explanation is that it’s all about his failure to condemn an aid blaming Israel for high grocery prices in America that was run by the Rebellion PAC. El-Sayed disclaimed knowledge of it.
Stevens, you could say, is doing the full Fetterman – entering the lists on behalf of the Jewish state, claiming that El-Sayed represents nothing good. It’s a good ploy for garnering attention for a day or so, but whether it will help Stevens’s long-term political prospects is another matter. El-Sayed, meanwhile, is claiming that he isn’t paying any attention to her statements and actions.
The Democrats want Haley’s comet to burn out– the Michigan party chairman announced that she’s bringing evicted from it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer who called her endorsement of Rogers a “despicable betrayal.” Her chief of staff Justin German resigned, stating that he was “shocked and heartbroken” by her turn. By contrast, Donald Trump could barely contain himself, observing on social media that she was a kind of a braveheart:
“Wow, this is BIG! Congresswoman Haley Stevens, a Highly Respected Democrat, who narrowly lost in the Primary to Abdul Mohamed El-Sayed, and who has been breathlessly wined and dined by the Dumocrats to help in their Michigan Campaign for the United States Senate against Mike Rogers, has just ENDORSED Mike Rogers for Senate! Her following is huge, and the level of respect from the People of Michigan, especially our African American and Jewish populations, is virtually unparalleled. Haley said what few people are willing to say. She showed great and almost unprecedented loyalty to the Great People of Michigan with what she did. It’s a thing called bravery, and few people have it like just displayed by Congresswoman Haley Stevens! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
But just how big is it? For now, it seems to be uniting Democrats behind El-Sayed. Abandoning El-Sayed at the last moment creates more sympathy for him than not among the Democratic base that he requires for victory. Writing on “X”, former Democratic congressman Andy Levin noted, “Haley’s sad turn is just more fuel for the fire demanding real change.”
If anything might help bolster El-Sayed’s electoral fortunes, though it is Trump ‘s decision to reclaim the political spotlight on Monday. Trump has lost a passel of court cases – the latest came when a federal judge permanently dismissed his lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal – but he appears to be undaunted. Trump plans to deliver a speech at the Reflecting Pool, where he will dilate upon his administration’s multifarious accomplishments, first and foremost the various projects that he has embarked upon in Washington, from the golden ballroom to the 250-foot-tall triumphal arch. For El-Sayed and other Democratic candidates, Trump’s closing message could not be more welcome.
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