Jasmine Crockett says Haley Stevens did Abdul El-Sayed ‘a favor’ by endorsing Republican

The Texas congresswoman questioned Stevens’ political future after she backed Mike Rogers over Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.

Rep. Haley Stevens may have meant to hurt Abdul El-Sayed. Rep. Jasmine Crockett thinks she did the opposite.

The Texas Democrat said during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club” that Stevens’ late endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s Senate race would work in El-Sayed’s favor, The Hill reported. “I think that Haley did Abdul a favor,” Crockett said, predicting the episode would give the Democratic nominee “a boost” with voters.

Her read on Stevens’ future was blunt. “I think that Haley is done with politics or she’s decided she wants to be a Republican going forward,” Crockett said. She added that House Democrats would see how the caucus handles the situation when lawmakers return next week.

Crockett’s argument carries particular weight given where Stevens chose to make her move. The Michigan congresswoman appeared alongside Rogers at Detroit’s Perfecting Church before formally endorsing him on Sunday, placing a public break from her party inside one of the city’s most prominent Black congregations.

For Black voters who make up the backbone of the Democratic base in Detroit, a Democrat crossing over in that setting was more likely to provoke than persuade.

The rupture had been building. Stevens and El-Sayed were scheduled to appear together Sunday in Detroit with Rep. James Clyburn, but El-Sayed told her to stay away from his campaign events and withdrew the invitation. The feud traced back to a political ad linking Israel to rising U.S. grocery prices. Stevens said El-Sayed had not condemned it strongly enough.

El-Sayed has largely shrugged off the defection. “At the end of the day, I actually don’t think about Haley Stevens,” he told reporters.

Crockett is not alone in her assessment. Hillary Clinton said on CNN that she did not expect the endorsement to matter much, adding that if it had any impact, it would likely end up helping El-Sayed.

Party leaders have been far less forgiving. Stevens’ reversal drew widespread backlash, including from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who said she had isolated herself from the caucus.