Stevens Defends Rogers Endorsement in CNN Interview

Rep. Haley Stevens defended her endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers in a televised interview, saying the decision was a weight off her shoulders, but did not give a clear account of what prompted her change of support shortly before Michigan’s Senate election. In the interview with Anderson Cooper, Stevens said she had spent time alone reflecting before deciding to back Rogers, who is running against Democrat Abdul ElSayed. She cited concerns about ElSayed’s campaign, anger in Democratic politics and an outside-group advertisement linking consumer costs to U.S. aid for Israel. Stevens said the advertisement was painful and that she had been trying to help voters who felt hurt. Cooper asked what had changed since Stevens had supported ElSayed and spoken with Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell. He also pointed to Stevens’ earlier description of Rogers as a rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s agenda. Stevens said nothing had changed for her, but returned to broader concerns about the Democratic Party and ElSayed’s campaign. Cooper said she was not answering his questions directly. Dingell said Stevens had told her multiple times that she did not intend to endorse Rogers. After the...