Anderson Cooper presses Haley Stevens on her shocking endorsement

[0:00] Congressman Stephens, thanks for being here. Your fellow Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell [0:04] said that she talked to you at midnight last night and that you told her you were not going [0:09] to endorse Mike Rogers. If that is true, what changed between then and this morning? [0:15] Well, look, this is just a weight off my shoulders, okay? Abdul has been getting angrier [0:20] and angrier. I was trying to help and I endorsed him. That ad was very painful. There are so many [0:27] Democrats who want to vote for our Democratic nominee and they're just being told, hey, this [0:34] is a party you don't belong in or this is a campaign you don't belong in and I've never [0:40] cast a present vote in the Congress. I'm making a decision here and, you know, that's just where [0:49] I landed on this. I woke up this morning clear-eyed, fresh and, you know, focused on what was in my [0:56] heart and that's that, you know, and there's a lot of incredible things going all around Michigan [1:02] and, frankly, this country with these elections here, Anderson. My question, though, is what [1:06] changed from the phone conversation you had with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and waking up refreshed [1:11] in the morning? Did you talk to anybody? Did you have a long night of the soul? Were you up all night? [1:16] What did you have a dream? What happened? No, look, I would just say that, you know, I had some [1:25] time to, you know, think. I wasn't on the phone, I think, that late, but I know Debbie's always working [1:30] around the clock. It might not have been midnight when I spoke with her, but I was there and just, [1:39] you know, alone with my thoughts. I was writing things out and, look, this level of anger and the [1:46] things that we are seeing, look, we all want Democrats to win. I'm a really proud Democrat and, [1:52] by the way, Abdul's got every other Democrat with him. He just doesn't, you know, have me and a few [1:58] other people who love this party, who love this party. People change their minds. Nothing with me [2:03] changed, Anderson. I'm just wondering what changed. Look, this is about Abdul getting angry and angrier [2:11] and saying, I don't want these people in my campaign. But he didn't get angrier from midnight. I'm not going to [2:16] stand up when we say— He didn't get angrier from midnight last night to this morning. So, I mean, [2:22] something changed your mind. I'm just curious, like, was there a specific aspect of this? [2:27] Well, Anderson, you certainly weren't on the phone with me at midnight, and I don't think I was on the [2:33] phone either. But I have great respect for Congresswoman Dingell. And, you know, [2:38] she is a pillar of always trying to bring people together. But you did talk to her last night. [2:40] Just as Senator Slotkin is, by the way. You know, she's carried a lot of water here. [2:46] She's, you know, going to be our soon-to-be senior senator and things along those lines. [2:52] The deal is, Anderson, is that, you know what, this is a weight off my shoulders. I'm being [2:58] straight with everybody. You know, I'm trying to help the Democratic Party. I felt the same way [3:03] with Plattner and his Nazi tattoo and then the cases of abuse. And I'm just one person here. [3:10] All right? That's it. And I'm voting for Democrats up and down my ballot. [3:15] Okay. [3:15] Abdul said, no thanks. Don't be a part of this. That's fine. [3:20] Yesterday, Al-Sayed said essentially what you wanted him to say regarding the offensive ad. He [3:25] said he did not agree with the contents of the ad paid for by an outside group that tied U.S. [3:29] aid to Israel to affordability problems in America. It's been called anti-Semitic. [3:33] Like, you said you were, quote, glad he said that and, quote, this is what our constituents [3:38] deserve from those of us in elected leadership. Then at some point, I assume in the evening, [3:45] maybe not midnight, you talked to Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, said you were not going to do [3:49] this. So if you and he were on the same page when it came to that ad and you said that to [3:55] the congresswoman at some point last night, what changed other than he had put out that [4:01] statement and disinvited you from that church service? Is that, was that the angrier and [4:07] angrier part that you're focusing on? [4:10] Anderson, this is a broader point about what's going on in our party. [4:14] It's actually not. It's really just a question of why you changed your mind. [4:17] We were just recognizing, look, I haven't cast my vote yet. You know, people, my neighbors were [4:23] asking me. So you might change your mind again? They feel the same way. Anderson, my mind is made [4:29] up. I'm lock solid. I'm an independent woman. I made my decision. You know, I still love my party [4:35] a whole lot. I know there's a lot of people working really hard on elections all over this [4:40] country. I really project that Democrats are going to win the game. Back in August, you posted on social [4:45] media, quote, Mike Rogers will be another rubber stamp for Donald Trump's dangerous agenda. We [5:04] can't afford to give MAGA another Senate seat in November. How do you, why is it okay now? Why [5:11] can you afford now to give MAGA another Senate seat in November? Well, why is it okay to have the [5:18] Democratic Party and a top nominee, you know, ejecting, you know, this type of, or injecting [5:25] rather, this type of anger and lack of kindness? That's all. I'm one Democrat. Okay, so it's the anger [5:31] and lack of kindness. And I just am telling people how I'm voting. And there's others who feel the same [5:34] way. So the anger and lack of kindness. I'm sorry. I don't want to talk over you. The anger and lack of [5:40] kindness. No, it sounds like you're upset with me too, Anderson. No, I'm not. I'm just, you're not [5:44] really answering any of my questions. So it's somewhat frustrating. You're saying the anger and [5:49] lack of kindness. Again, that seems to point to you being disinvited to this event. Is that to you, [5:57] is that his anger and lack of kindness? Anderson, I was just trying to help this campaign [6:06] and stand up for people who feel hurt. I am not the only one in this position. I'm just casting my [6:13] vote. The people in the Congress know this as well. We cast votes all the time. I announced it today. [6:21] That's fine. I was in a Sunday church service. And you know what? I am very optimistic going forward. [6:27] I don't like seeing a Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate campaigning with somebody who's standing [6:34] with someone who's saying America deserved 9-11. I don't like that. I don't like that that person's [6:43] uncle is saying that African-Americans should wrap themselves in the Israeli flag and call [6:49] themselves Van Jones. I don't like that. And I have to make a choice. Voting is binary. I am making [6:56] one choice here. And people are just, you know, and people are also making their choices. And I got a [7:02] whole heck of a lot of love for the Democratic Party, you know, and I certainly have, you know, [7:09] enjoyed having this conversation with you about, you know, my decision and my thought process. But [7:14] it's just, it's, look, it's just where I was at the end of the night and earlier this morning. It was it. [7:23] Those things that you cited, though, were from a while ago. And it seemed like those were okay for you [7:30] up until some point yesterday. And then the only really new development was the disinviting [7:39] to, you know, a campaign event or church service. That seems to be the crucial kind of turning point. [7:48] Is that correct? Because you've cited, you said building anger, you're citing things which are [7:54] very old. And now that's the only change. So is it fair to zero it in on that? Look, I appreciate [8:01] all the introspection and how I make decisions and how I reach this moment. I will just say that [8:07] the Democratic Party and when we see all these great Democrats across this country come in to check [8:14] Trump and they are going to have the affordability agenda, I absolutely do. I just, I'm just casting [8:26] my vote this one way. Michigan, there's a lot of people out there voting. But with all due respect, [8:31] you're casting your vote that way and you're on television right now talking about it and you [8:35] had a press conference earlier. So you're not just casting your vote. You are very publicly [8:41] casting your vote, which is fine. But that's what you're doing, right? Look, Anderson, I am, [8:53] you know, happy to be speaking with you. I love my state. You know, I have a lot of deep respect [9:01] for my constituents and many, many people who have worked on Democratic campaigns who want Democrats [9:10] to win, who also feel heartbroken. And you're totally right. I'm just one person. And as your [9:16] your chief of staff released a statement that said your congressional team is shocked and [9:21] heartbroken by your announcement and that he and many other staffers were resigning. There's reports [9:26] that more than half of your staff has quit. Is that accurate? Look, I have an incredible team [9:34] in Washington. Obviously, they cast their votes. They cast their votes in the beltway. Well, look, [9:41] I'm under a transition, right? I'm running down my office. It's all been packed up. You know, [9:46] there's just a couple weeks of lame duck left here. These are great individuals who, you know, [9:52] I care a lot about. And, you know, certainly, you know, they're free to share their views on this. [9:58] I am not trying to upset anyone. I'm just being honest with my constituents and what I'm hearing [10:06] from people. And in fact, I've been hearing from a ton of Dems, Anderson, who said, thank you. [10:11] This is, you know, this is how we felt. We haven't liked this campaign. It's painful. I mean, [10:18] Debbie Dingell has said that repeatedly. I think, you know, when I was talking to her at noon yesterday, [10:24] she was saying that. And so this is all going to come to an end. You know, I'm casting my vote a [10:30] certain way. And I, you know, I hope to see more kindness within the Democratic Party. And for all of [10:38] us to just accept when somebody has a disagreement, I mean, that's fine. I changed my mind. You know, [10:44] he said, hey, I don't need your endorsement. That's fine. You know, and why the anger? Why the [10:51] frustration? Why the obsession with Iran and all these other issues about, you know, what's going [10:58] on overseas? What are we going to do here in this country? [11:02] It's about our country. It's about Michigan. As a Democrat, I'm wondering when you heard [11:09] President Trump praising you today and Speaker Mike Johnson, what did you think? [11:15] Well, I impeached him twice. Mike Johnson has passed a couple of my bills as the speaker. [11:22] He's not been up to all too much. I think the Republicans have kind of shown that they are, [11:27] you know, really focused on just letting Trump be the dictator. And that's not what the Democratic [11:35] Party is. You know, we've got Democrats when they go into the chamber, sometimes they don't always [11:41] vote with the party. You know, we've seen, I wasn't for the Biden switch around. [11:47] You said in a press conference today, we can't stand with hate. Do you believe that Abdul [11:54] Al-Sayed is hateful or an anti-Semite? I think some of the actions have certainly been [12:02] anti-Semitic, Anderson. But I'm just sick of who he stands with. He's picking Hassan Piker [12:09] and the uncle, you know, over a whole heck of a lot of people. There are people who want to vote for [12:15] him. They wanted to hear from him. They're not trying to beat him up. You know, I wanted to build him up [12:21] and he just kept coming back. And this is about a U.S. Senate seat. But again, you're actually [12:26] listening to people in my state. And that's why when you endorse him, you knew you keep referencing [12:33] the uncle. I assume you knew about the uncle and whatever else he and Hassan Piker. I guess I still [12:43] unclear. I mean, it sounds like last night was a really big night where a lot built up what the [12:50] turning point was. Well, that's your assumption, Anderson. I mean, that's your editorializing. [12:55] I certainly didn't say that. But you were willing to be at a campaign event for him. You wanted to be [13:00] at a public event with him up until some point, I guess, yesterday. And it's just an interesting [13:07] change. And I think a lot of people are curious to try to understand it. Was that a question, [13:20] Anderson? No, I wanted to see if you wanted to fill in the silence, but you don't. [13:24] Oh, yeah. Look, Michiganders are going to the ballot box. All right. You know, there's over a [13:38] million people who have already voted, more to go. And I've made my, you know, [13:46] Can I just one last question clear? I've made it where I am. I love my state. I think this is a [13:52] Michigan moment. And you did speak with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell last night, maybe not at midnight, [13:57] sometime last night. And you did tell her you were not doing this. And you told her, you told other [14:04] people you would be at the church service with Clyburn. You told Debbie Dingell you were not going [14:11] to do this. Is that correct? Last night at some point. Anderson, that is, you know, nice editorializing [14:24] and nice bits of information. I'm about to speak to Debbie Dingell about what's going on with Michigan [14:29] politics. I'm giving you the courtesy of saying what actually happened. I had an opportunity to go [14:32] to a church service and have a prayerful moment. It was Sunday. It was very beautiful. It was about [14:38] friendship, of which I have many incredible friends in the Democratic Party, and I care a lot [14:44] about them. You don't want to say whether you had a conversation with Debbie Dingell? Okay. [14:50] Congressman Haley, I really, Haley Stevens, thank you very much. I appreciate your time. [14:54] Okay. Thank you. [14:55] Thank you.