On Monday, CNN’s The Arena panel debated whether Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens had abandoned her party after her endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers over Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Stevens’ initial support of El-Sayed changed amid concerns over his lack of support for Israel and Michigan’s Jewish community, drawing curious condemnation from the liberals of the panel.
CNN host Kasie Hunt opened up the discussion by questioning how Democratic leadership could have gotten the primary so wrong after backing Stevens.
Former White House communications director Kate Bedingfield questioned Stevens’ decision to put her disagreements with El-Sayed ahead of the Democratic Party, suggesting that her “meltdown” regarding her support of Rogers was due to personal grievances:
I think this spectacular meltdown over the last 24, 48 hours, that's certainly -- that's definitely not the Haley Stevens that I recognize.
You know, I can't begin to speculate. I know there's been speculation about her fiancé and what has prompted her to do this. I think you know, I see some criticism of the idea that Democrats are now toeing a party line of, you know, party over country and that we're not allowing Haley to be country over party.
But, you know, she has spent the last -- you know, since she lost the primary essentially saying Abdul El-Sayed should go to the United States Senate and now, you know, two days out from Election Day is clearly putting some personal pettiness, vendetta, ugliness ahead of -- ahead of what I would argue is her duty to the Democratic Party. So, I don't know. I don't know.
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. steve malzberg
