Democrat who supported Republican in Michigan is the target of friendly fire, and the dispute for the Senate gains a new chapter

Democratic Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan became the target of party leaders after endorsing Republican Mike Rogers, candidate for United States Senate, against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. The episode was discussed on Fox's "The Five" program and, according to the presenters, exposes fissures in the Democratic coalition in one of the most disputed states in the election.

According to the account shown, Stevens decided to support Rogers after her party's candidate refused to invite her to a campaign event. She stated that El-Sayed was "getting more and more angry" and said she had tried to help and endorse him. She also criticized a campaign ad that, according to her, blamed Jews for high prices, and said she would not accept seeing a Democratic name campaigning alongside someone accused of claiming that the United States deserved September 11th.

The reaction within the party was harsh. According to the program, leaders classified the gesture as treason, and there were those who questioned the deputy's mental fitness. The presenters also cited personal attacks directed at her and considered the treatment inappropriate.

Presenters’ evaluation

In the opinion of presenter Dana Perino, the episode shows a pattern of harsh treatment by the Democratic Party towards women who diverge from the official line. She recalled that Stevens almost won the primary, with around 50% of the vote against El-Sayed's 50.1%, and said she believed that the congresswoman decided to act on principle, aware that she would lose allies.

Jesse Watters compared the situation to a fractured coalition. According to him, the result of the dispute in Michigan will have weight beyond the state, because the race would be linked to issues such as left-wing economic populism and the position on Israel. He said many Democrats would be silent, some of them satisfied with the outcome.

Greg Gutfeld said in his assessment that the party chose party loyalty above country and criticized El-Sayed's associations with radical Muslim groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood. Gutfeld also stated that the Democratic "big tent" tolerates deviations in one direction but not the other.

Party defense

Commentator Harold Ford Jr. disagreed with the framing. For him, the episode does not represent the Democratic Party as a whole, which, according to him, focuses its campaign on themes that resonate with voters and leads in several disputes, according to last week's polls. Ford also criticized the attacks on Stevens' mental health and said that El-Sayed, having won the primary by a narrow margin, should have sought reconciliation.

For the investor, the relevance lies in the balance of forces in the Senate, which influences the fiscal, tax and regulatory agenda in Washington. A Democratic split in Michigan, according to the debate, could affect the outcome of a seat considered open, although the transcript does not include specific polls on the race.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.