Haley Stevens’ campaign has been under fire recently after reportedly releasing a fake press release saying that Republican Mike Rogers endorsed her Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed. The press release did not sit well with Michigan voters, as many believe that Stevens is using dirty tactics.
As reported by Common Dreams, Stevens is trying hard to link El-Sayed to Rogers after the Republican said that he thinks he has a good chance against him. Rogers said: “If he wins, I think we’re in good shape. I think we’ll do well if he in fact is the nominee.” However, while the quote from Rogers is real, he never actually endorsed the Democrat or even outright stated publicly that he preferred him as an opponent.
After the news spread, Stevens used her social media profile to claim that Rogers endorses El-Sayed. To make matters even more controversial, the Stevens campaign team reportedly sent out a fake press release meant to look like it had come from El-Sayed’s team, making it appear as if he was commemorating Rogers’ endorsement.
Michigan Residents React to Haley Stevens’ Anti-El-Sayed Campaign
Haley’s tactics have sparked a huge backlash online, with a post on Reddit’s r/Michigan even having its comments locked due to the controversy. One of the people involved in the discussion said: “She doesn’t care if she defeats Rogers. And neither does all the money supporting her. Both her and her donors want to stop El-Sayed and progressive politics. That’s the goal, not winning the general.”
Others also criticized the effectiveness of the move: “All Abdul has to do in order to look better than his opponent is NOTHING. No reply or even acknowledgement.” Someone else agreed: “This is such a stupid move from her. If she wins the primary, she still needs El-Sayed voters to vote for her, and this will only push them away.”
Some commenters echoed the sentiment, rejecting the moderate Democrat: “I’ll never vote for her. I know the DNC will come begging with their ‘this is how Trump won, you have to vote for Stevens.’ Stop putting your thumb on the scale during the primaries and give me a candidate worth voting for. I’m done voting for these corporate Dems they keep shoving down our throats.”
The Democratic primary election will take place in less than two weeks, and it’s likely that the campaign between the two candidates will continue to heat up. However, moves such as this one remain controversial. As one user said: “She campaigns like a Republican.” To others, however, this could give her an edge: “Republicans win a lot, I hope it doesn’t work for her.”
