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As House lawmakers returned to Congress on Monday, Michigan Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens was “hiding” in a Republican locker room after supporting a Republican candidate against her own party in the midterms, according to a report.
Many in the Democratic Party consider Stevens persona non grata after he backed Republican Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate race at the last minute.
Stevens showed up for work but remained quiet as lawmakers voted Monday night, according to the Washington Sun. The congresswoman voted “yes” on two bills, according to the House clerk’s office, but she was in the Republican locker room just off the House floor, out of view of reporters, according to the outlet.
The Democrat has maintained a low profile since Rogers’ explosive endorsement, a move that blindsided some of her closest friends and shook her party two days before Election Day.
The Independent has contacted Stevens’ office for comment.
Tension simmered between El-Sayed and Stevens over their positions on Israel, and the congresswoman complained she was left out of El-Sayed’s campaign after he narrowly beat her in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary.
Stevens was quickly kicked out of the Michigan Democratic Party after supporting Rogers against El-Sayed, and some members of the House Democratic caucus are seriously considering banning her for “treason.”
Parliamentary Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries previously said the party needed to have “a discussion on appropriate measures” after the election.
“Haley Stevens made a terrible decision, caught everyone off guard and isolated herself from the House Democratic caucus,” he said. Policy.
Others were more open and called for his removal from the caucus.
“Deplorable and embarrassing. Capitulating to fascism, Islamophobia, racism and policies that harm ordinary Americans makes you unfit to serve in the Democratic caucus,” said Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois. “Shame on Haley Stevens.”
“A number of members are upset, and I think some think this is a violation of our caucus rules, which say people are not supposed to support members of the Democratic Party,” an anonymous Democratic lawmaker told NBC News.
“People feel like this is a terrible betrayal of our party in the final days of the election,” the lawmaker added.
Stevens’ unsuccessful Senate bid prevented her from running for reelection to the House in the midterms, and she has not revealed her next career move. She lashed out at Democrats who called for her ouster in a lengthy statement last week.
“What troubled me almost as much as this experience was the reaction from my party,” she said. “Instead of asking why a lifelong Democrat got to this point, some leaders were quick to condemn me, question my motives, and expel me. This response reveals something deeply troubling about what’s missing in today’s Democratic Party.”
“Party loyalty should never require abandoning your values or your judgment,” Stevens continued. “I still believe in the promises of the Democratic Party. But keeping that promise will take something more than tests of loyalty and demands for blind obedience.”
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