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Cooper presses Stevens on the overnight turn toward Rogers

The Michigan Democrat calls her Republican endorsement "rock solid," but leaves unanswered what changed after a late-night conversation with Debbie Dingell.

Channel: CNN ·

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Anderson Cooper presses Haley Stevens on her shocking endorsement

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0:00Cooper asks what changed between Stevens' midnight conversation with Dingell and her morning endorsement of Rogers.
3:20He questions how her response to El-Sayed's handling of a controversial ad led to backing his opponent.
5:00Cooper presents Stevens' earlier criticism of Rogers and asks her to reconcile it with her endorsement.
9:18Cooper raises reported staff resignations; Stevens responds by praising her Washington team.
11:07Asked about Trump's praise, Stevens points to her votes to impeach him.
12:30Repeated questions about whether Stevens assured Dingell she would not endorse Rogers produce no clear confirmation.

Between a midnight conversation and a morning endorsement, what changed? Anderson Cooper repeatedly puts that question to Michigan Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens as she defends backing Republican Mike Rogers for the Senate.

The interview on the United States' Cable News Network (CNN) focuses on the timing of her decision, not simply the fact that she crossed party lines. Stevens lost the Democratic Senate nomination to Abdul El-Sayed, whose Republican opponent she is now supporting.

"Well, look, this is just a weight off my shoulders, okay?" Stevens says near the start. She also describes herself as a proud Democrat who wants Democrats to win.

Cooper asks how her response to El-Sayed's handling of a controversial advertisement led to endorsing Rogers. He points to El-Sayed's statement and her removal from a church-service invitation, asking what else changed. Stevens responds: "Anderson, my mind is made up. I'm rock solid. I'm an independent woman."

The questioning then moves to her earlier public criticism of Rogers. Cooper presents an August post in which she described him as a rubber stamp for Donald Trump's agenda, and asks how she reconciles that warning with her endorsement. He also challenges the timing of her explanation, saying the grievances she lists predated the overnight decision.

Later, Cooper raises reports that her chief of staff and more than half her staff resigned in protest. Stevens responds by praising her Washington team. Asked about praise from Trump, she points to having voted to impeach him twice.

The final exchanges return to fellow Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell: had Stevens definitively told her she would not endorse Rogers? Cooper asks repeatedly, but the interview ends without a clear confirmation. The full conversation offers Stevens' firm defense of her choice, without establishing the specific overnight turning point Cooper sought.