CNN’s Anderson Cooper repeatedly pressed Rep. Haley Stevens on Sunday night to explain her abrupt decision to endorse Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat, questioning why she reversed course just hours after reportedly assuring fellow Democrats she would not abandon their nominee.
The tense 15-minute exchange came ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections, after Stevens broke with her party to back Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, whom she had previously endorsed following their contentious primary. Cooper focused on what prompted her reversal after Rep. Debbie Dingell said Stevens had assured her Saturday night that she would not support Rogers.
“Well, look, this is just a weight off my shoulders, OK?” Stevens said on “AC360,” accusing El-Sayed of becoming “angrier and angrier” and alienating Democrats who wanted to support him. But Cooper repeatedly returned to the timing of her decision, pointing out that Stevens had previously raised many of the same concerns about El-Sayed.
“Did you talk to anybody? Did you have a long night of the soul? Were you up all night? Did you have a dream? What happened?” Cooper asked.
Stevens said she had spent time alone with her thoughts but disputed the timing of her conversation with Dingell, suggesting it might not have been midnight. Cooper also confronted Stevens with an August social media post in which she warned that Rogers would be a “rubber stamp” for President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Anderson Cooper: “congresswoman stevens, thanks for being here. your fellow michigan congresswoman, debbie dingell, said that she talked to you at midnight last night and that you told her you were not going to endorse mike rogers. if that is true, what changed between then and… pic.twitter.com/cKkFT4tJ2C
— corgi (@wordsdematthew) November 2, 2026
“Why is it OK now? Why can you afford now to give MAGA another Senate seat in November?” he asked.
Stevens again criticized El-Sayed’s campaign, prompting Cooper to acknowledge his frustration. “You’re not really answering any of my questions, so it’s somewhat frustrating,” he said.
The interview ended with Stevens accusing Cooper of “editorializing” when he again asked her to confirm Dingell’s account of their conversation. Stevens did not directly answer.
Appearing on CNN immediately afterward, Dingell described the exchange as “one of the most painful interviews I have ever watched,” saying she had been worried about Stevens throughout the previous week.
Cooper then asked Dingell directly whether Stevens had assured her she would not endorse Rogers. “Yes, she did,” Dingell replied. “Multiple times.”
Stevens’ CNN appearance capped a tumultuous Sunday in which she was heckled as a “traitor” during a press appearance alongside Rogers and faced resignations from members of her congressional staff over the endorsement.
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