Democrats Threaten Stevens With Caucus Expulsion

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) could lose her place in the House Democratic caucus after endorsing Republican Mike Rogers for Senate. The endorsement prompted calls from her own party’s lawmakers to exclude her. The caucus hasn’t removed Stevens, according to reports, but colleagues are weighing the sanction and have already cut her out of several House Democratic text chains.

Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.) told Axios, “I hope she doesn't return to work on Tuesday,” and said Stevens should be removed from the caucus. Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) replied, “Agreed,” arguing the endorsement “doesn't accomplish anything except hurt[ing] Haley” and that “she got bad advice.” Rep. Emily Randall (D-Wash.) said, “I'd support that.” Now the caucus’s internal discipline is on display. Lawmakers are weighing who belongs in their political group and who gets pushed outside it.

The Party’s Lines of Discipline

Stevens endorsed Rogers on Sunday, after Abdul El-Sayed defeated her in the Democratic Senate primary in August. Stevens had urged El-Sayed, who is more left-leaning than she is, to more forcefully denounce a super PAC ad that partially blamed U.S. aid to Israel for rising prices. Stevens said the ad claimed “Jews are responsible for America's economic woes.” El-Sayed responded that Stevens “seems intent on relitigating a primary that ended three months ago.”

On Sunday, Stevens attended church with Rogers, released a social-media video endorsing him and held a joint press conference with him. Her endorsement crossed party lines in a Senate race, and Democratic lawmakers are discussing whether to remove her from their caucus. A senior House Democrat told Axios colleagues had privately discussed ousting Stevens, adding, “That's what people want.” The senior lawmaker also said colleagues had removed Stevens from several House Democratic text chains.

A second House Democrat told Axios, “I've heard people invoking the rule about not endorsing against Democrats.” A third said, “Endorsing a Republican in a tipping point state is ridiculous, especially from a Democrat ... She should be removed from our caucus altogether.” Those lawmakers have stated their case for discipline. The account describes private discussion and demands, not a completed expulsion.

The Calculations Behind Exclusion

The caucus response isn’t unanimous, even among lawmakers frustrated with Stevens. The senior House Democrat said, “at the very least, 'we need to wait and have the discussion after Tuesday.'” A fourth House Democrat called it “too bad she chose to throw her career in Congress away so easily,” but added that the caucus “might still need her vote in the final two months before she's gone.” Calls to remove Stevens sit alongside calculations about whether her vote remains useful.

Several lawmakers noted that Stevens is retiring anyway and that if El-Sayed wins, the issue likely becomes moot. So the dispute turns on the Senate contest and the caucus’s internal response, as lawmakers argue over timing, party loyalty and the value of Stevens’s remaining vote. The source reports no grassroots or community-organized response, and no legislative remedy. The actors described are elected officials managing a conflict inside their own institution.

Randall told Axios, “ [I] am not letting it distract me from the work between now and Tuesday at 8pm.” Stevens didn’t immediately respond to a text requesting comment. For now, the reported levers are exclusion from caucus spaces, discussion of expulsion and the vote lawmakers say they may still need before Stevens leaves Congress.