Haley Stevens endorses Mike Rogers, prompting push for Democratic caucus removal

Rep. Haley Stevens initially intended to endorse Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's Senate race. Instead, she appeared with Republican Mike Rogers at a Black church in Detroit and announced her support for him.

The endorsement broke with her party's Senate candidate just days before the midterms. Le Monde reported that Stevens announced her support for Rogers on Sunday, November 1.

Stevens's November 1 appearance with Rogers made the reversal public. Rather than backing El-Sayed, she crossed party lines in one of Michigan's statewide races.

Coverage dated November 1 also reported that Michigan's Democratic Party chair said Stevens was no longer a party member. That development concerned her state party membership, separate from the subsequent effort to remove her from the House Democratic caucus.

Stevens defended the endorsement in a Sunday interview with Anderson Cooper, according to The Hill. Rep. Debbie Dingell criticized the appearance, calling it "one of the most painful interviews I've ever watched."

By November 2, the dispute had reached the House caucus. Axios reported that some House Democrats wanted Stevens expelled because she had endorsed Rogers.

Stevens is no longer a Michigan Democratic Party member, according to the party chair's statement reported in the November 1 coverage. Her position in the House Democratic caucus is now under challenge as well.

The supplied reporting describes a push for caucus removal, not a completed expulsion. Axios characterized that potential action as an extraordinary step.

The immediate question is whether calls to remove Stevens from the House Democratic caucus lead to action. The coverage does not establish a decision or timetable, or explain how her endorsement will affect the Senate result.