"Petty, selfish, unhinged": Haley Stevens' staff and colleagues erupt at her "betrayal"

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) has been met with intense criticism from Democrats, party officials, and her own staff following her endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers for U.S. Senate on Sunday. This shocking shift in allegiance comes after Stevens came close to securing her party's nomination for Senate in Michigan just months ago.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) called her decision "pathetic, petty, selfish, unhinged," while Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.) jokingly remarked that he had seen "more pleasant self-immolations" than Stevens' announcement. The controversy stems from Stevens' long-standing feud with her Democratic primary rival, Abdul El-Sayed, which intensified over the weekend.

El-Sayed accused Stevens of wanting to revive the primary fight, to which Stevens responded that El-Sayed had barred her from his campaign and urged her to stay away. Her video endorsing Rogers included a statement that El-Sayed told her "I was no longer welcome in his campaign, and that I should stay away, and I agree." Stevens' fellow Democrats expressed shock, anger, and betrayal, with Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) exclaiming, "WTF!!?" and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) stating that the situation constitutes a "great sense of betrayal."

Several of Stevens' staffers have resigned in response to her endorsement, with her former chief of staff, Justin German, expressing shock and heartbreak. The Michigan Democratic Party chair, Curtis Hertel, announced that Stevens would no longer be considered a member of the party. While some centrist Democrats defended Stevens' decision, arguing that the election should not be about personal conflicts, others warned that such actions could have lasting consequences for the left-wing faction.