Haley Stevens needs to stop.
On Sunday, Rep. Stevens broke with her party and endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race. Since then, the congresswoman, who was swiftly expelled from the state’s Democratic Party, lashed back against criticism by invoking her womanhood. In allying herself with Rogers, she is betraying women while using her femininity as a shield.
Coverage in the wake of Stevens’ endorsement noted that since Stevens had lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed in August, the two were not close, though she had supported him through most of the general election cycle. That is, until about a week before the election, when Stevens’ fiancé, Jewish civil rights lawyer Jason Turkish, said El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel posed a threat to Jews. At first Stevens downplayed Turkish’s comments. Then she did an about-face and came out swinging.
On Monday, Stevens responded to speculation that her switch was motivated in part by pressure from her fiancé by writing in a lengthy post on X: “That is sexism dressed up as political analysis. My fiancé has his own views. I have mine. I made this decision, and I am proud of it. Do not question my independence simply because you disagree with my conclusion.”
I agree. If Stevens wants to immolate her political career, that’s her choice. And she should not be infantilized.
That same day, Stevens said she gave El-Sayed “an opportunity … to unite around something that everyone could agree on, and then I got disinvited instead … This is what happens to women.” To be fair, this happens to people of all genders who seemingly undermine campaigns just days before elections. Claiming sexism isn’t some sort of Uno-reverse gotcha when you do racism.
On Wednesday, after El-Sayed won, Stevens doubled down on her argument, posting in part on X: “The votes have been counted. The results are in. For me, living my beliefs was never measured by who would win at the ballot box. As a woman, I have the right to make a decision and to change my mind.” This wording, far more defensive, uses her femininity to cover her actions. But her actions clearly sold out women.
Consider: Rogers has a history of voting for abortion bans and voting against a fully inclusive Violence Against Women Act. He has voted multiple times against marriage equality and against affordable healthcare; he has also voted for cuts that kicked people, especially low-income mothers, off food assistance. Stevens herself, before her about-face endorsement, had repeatedly criticized Rogers. Backing a Republican because she was tired of hateful rhetoric was the equivalent of calling the fox the best defender of the chicken coop.
There is no logic to Stevens saying she was voting as an empowered woman, then voting for someone who works to take away that empowerment. Doing so put her among the ranks of women who joined with the Trump administration for plaudits and profit while undermining the very advances that allowed them to work outside the home in the first place.
But this recent controversy wasn’t Stevens’ first hypocrisy hustle. In a joint press conference with Rogers outside the historically Black Perfecting Church in Detroit on Sunday, Stevens said she had to look at who was “standing for country.”
“I’m choosing country over hate,” Stevens added. “This is not anti-Muslim at all.”
But in a way it was. The schism between Stevens and El-Sayed widened over an ad that she considered “fearmongering about Israel.” The ad blamed rising grocery costs on the war in Gaza, and, as many have reported, it was not made by El-Sayed’s campaign. Although El-Sayed distanced himself from the ad, Stevens took offense that he had not disavowed it to her specifications.
And turning to Rogers as an ameliorative agent for the supposed hate that El-Sayed might unleash is like turning to a gas can to quell a fire. Rogers’ Republican Party spewed hateful rhetoric against Arab and Muslim Americans throughout the campaign and for years leading up to this election cycle; Stevens made those remarks standing in front of a Black church, invoking the history of social justice as a defense against the racism she claimed she wasn’t perpetuating while she was perpetuating it.
In a week of historic wins for both women and people of color, it’s beyond frustrating to see someone loudly claim to be a protector of both while actively working against them. As she invoked Islamophobia, Stevens used the backdrop of a Black church to protect her from accusations of racism. She has also repeatedly used feminism both as a ladder to advance and as a way to silence critics who point out the incongruity of her choices.
She needs to stop.
The post Haley Stevens needs to stop playing the woman card appeared first on MS NOW.
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