On Monday’s episode of “The View,” co-host Sara Haines defended Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan for endorsing Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. Haines described the decision as brave and argued that support for a political party should depend on whether its candidates earn it.
Stevens said in a Sunday interview that she backed Rogers because of what she characterized as El-Sayed’s anger and lack of kindness. On the program, Haines said she had serious concerns about El-Sayed’s beliefs and his past campaigning with online commentator Hasan Piker. She compared that association with criticism directed at Republicans who have appeared alongside Nick Fuentes.
Haines said crossing party lines can reflect personal conscience, pointing to former Rep. Liz Cheney’s endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris as a comparison. She added that concern about Donald Trump should not prevent scrutiny of conduct or rhetoric within a person’s own party. Haines also said she did not need to agree with a candidate on every issue to believe that a party must earn an individual’s loyalty.
Other “View” co-hosts were less persuaded. Sunny Hostin said Stevens would deserve criticism if her decision was driven by a bruised ego. Ana Navarro argued Stevens may have acted because El-Sayed did not want her campaigning with him. Whoopi Goldberg raised the endorsement’s timing during the discussion. Alyssa Farah Griffin said Stevens had raised serious concerns about antisemitism and agreed that a person should be free to cross party lines if she considers it principled.
Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff challenged Haines’ emphasis on Piker. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Shroff said he had previously urged El-Sayed to distance himself from Piker, and claimed El-Sayed later said Piker did not represent his campaign, stopped appearing with him and contacted him about rhetoric that Shroff characterized as harmful to the campaign. Shroff said those steps took place before Stevens’ endorsement.
Shroff accused Haines of relying on an issue he said El-Sayed had already addressed while acknowledging concerns about Islamophobia and then moving past them. He characterized her position as a double standard. He also rejected the comparison with Cheney, saying Cheney’s break with Republicans was based on Trump’s conduct and concerns about democracy. Shroff argued that Stevens’ stated objection to hate was inconsistent with endorsing Rogers, whom he accused of making anti-Muslim rhetoric central to his campaign. Those assertions were Shroff’s views, not findings independently established in the supplied account.
The report said Fox News Digital sought comment from the El-Sayed and Rogers campaigns but had not received responses at publication time. It also noted that Haines is a registered independent. The discussion took place amid disagreement over Stevens’ reasons for endorsing Rogers, the significance of El-Sayed’s relationship with Piker, and whether the endorsement should be viewed as a principled break with party or a response to personal and campaign tensions.
