Haley Stevens

2018

Stevens moved back to Rochester Hills to run for the United States House of Representatives seat in Michigan's 11th congressional district, launching her bid to unseat two-term Republican Dave Trott^[11] on April 27, 2017.^[12] While his spokesperson initially described Stevens as a "carpetbagger," Stevens argued that she was born and raised in Southeast Michigan, and had spent her early career working for Michigan. Trott announced his retirement in September 2017, making the 11th district an open seat.^[10][11] Stevens defeated state Representative Tim Greimel in the Democratic Party primary election^[13] and Republican businesswoman Lena Epstein in the general election.^[14] In August 2018, Stevens was named as part of the DCCC's Red to Blue program, which focused on flipping U.S. House districts by ousting Republicans,^[15] joining fellow Michiganders Elissa Slotkin and Gretchen Driskell. Hillary Clinton recorded a late robocall in support of her. Following the robocall, she moved from second place in pre-election polls to winning the election. Politico credited her robocalls for boosting Stevens' campaign.^[16] Stevens was also endorsed by President Barack Obama, who described Stevens as a "critical part" of his administration's efforts to bail out the auto industry.^[17] Stevens' victory, and that of Elissa Slotkin in the neighboring 8th district, made it the first time since the 1930s that no Republicans represented Oakland County in the House.^[18]

Stevens and Colin Allred, both alumni of the Obama administration, were selected as co-presidents of the House Democratic freshman class of the 116th United States Congress.^[19]

An October 2019 town hall on curbing gun violence turned contentious as protesters at the Commerce Township gun club, where the event was held, interrupted Stevens and other lawmakers. Stevens said "This is why the NRA has got to go" in response to protestors repeatedly shouting "NRA" in reference to the National Rifle Association.^[20][21]

2020

Stevens ran for reelection. She was unopposed in the Democratic primary.^[22] In the general election, she defeated the Republican nominee, Eric Esshaki, in a tighter race that saw early ad spending from Republican-allied Congressional Leadership Fund.^[23][24]

In a 2020 floor speech, she shouted over the gavel of her own party saying that she was wearing pink latex gloves "not for personal attention" but to make a point about COVID.^[25][21]

2022

As a result of population loss, Michigan lost a seat in the United States House of Representatives. The 11th District lost its share of Wayne County and was safely Democratic. The home of fellow Democrat Andy Levin was drawn into the district, and Levin sought reelection there, despite the majority of his old district being in the newly-designated 10th Congressional District.^[26][27] Stevens, whose home in Rochester Hills was drawn out of the district, had moved in with her husband to a home in Waterford, opting to follow most of her constituents into the 11th and setting up a primary challenge against Levin.^[28][29] She reportedly outspent Levin by a factor of five.^[26] Much of her support was driven by the pro-Israel lobby, which had spent $3 million on her campaign by July.^[30] Other dynamics in the race included generational and gender dynamics in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's overturning the Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.^[31] Stevens defeated Andy Levin, 60%-40%.^[32][33][34] Stevens focused her campaign on protecting reproductive rights and her background as a proponent of Michigan manufacturing, the state's dominant industry. Her victory was aided by $5 million from EMILY's List-affiliated donors^[27] and by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which invested $4.3 million targeting Levin and hailed her victory as proof that "being pro-Israel is both good policy and good politics".^[35][36][37] Despite its large spending against Levin, AIPAC's ads did not mention its motivation for supporting Stevens.^[38]

After redistricting, the new district contained more of Stevens' previous constituents than Levin, despite Levin's status as a member of a Michigan political dynasty. Stevens won the general election against Republican Mark Ambrose with 61.3% of the vote.^[39]

2024

Stevens was challenged by Ahmed Ghanim in the Democratic primary. She won renomination with 87.1% of the vote.^[40] In the general election, she won reelection against Republican Nick Somberg and Green Party candidate Douglas Campbell with 58.2% of the vote.^[41] Stevens has the worst wins-above-replacement (WAR) rating among the six House Democrats from Michigan, according to Split Ticket, though her WAR has been positive in three of her four House campaigns.^[42]

Stevens voted in March 2023 with Democrats to oppose legislation proposed by Republicans to ban transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.^[43]

Following Joe Biden's debate with Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, Stevens "unequivocally" supported Biden stating, "I trust our president and know he is the one to finish the job".^[44] As Kamala Harris consolidated support as the new nominee after Biden dropped out, Stevens immediately endorsed her.^[45]

Iran

Stevens supports regime change in Iran but opposes the 2026 Iran war. She has called Iran a "state sponsor of terrorism across the globe," but believes the U.S. Constitution must be followed in first convening and informing Congress.^[69]

Israel

Stevens visited Israel in 2019 and described the visit as transformative. She strongly opposes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement "and all attempts to delegitimize Israel's right to exist."^[70] Stevens describes herself as a stalwart supporter of Israel, accusing its critics of antisemitism and characterizing it as a Jewish state, and voted to sanction the International Criminal Court in response to its issuing arrest warrants regarding war crimes in Gaza. Reflecting on her pro-Israel stance, she also said that "we've got to be very clear about who we are and need to stop making everyone happy at the expense of making no one happy".^[71] At a 2023 Hanukkah menorah lighting, she said, "Israel comes to me in my dreams. I see Israel's future."^[72]

Stevens has received praise from the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC for her support of Israel and described it as America's "strong ally", "a democracy, and a beacon of hope" in April 2025.^[73] She accepted the support of the pro-Israel lobby group Democratic Majority for Israel in 2026, describing herself as a "proud pro-Israel Democrat".^[74]

Stevens was booed during a speech at the 2026 Michigan Democratic Party convention, with coverage attributing it to her support of Israel and donations from AIPAC and other pro-Israel interests.^[75] When questioned on what her acceptance of campaign contributions from AIPAC donors meant, Stevens did not answer the question, instead saying her campaign is "a love letter to our state", and highlighted endorsements from Democratic Party officials without mentioning Israel or AIPAC.^[76]