Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, has asked the U.S. Marshals Service for protection after receiving death threats, according to two senior Trump administration officials who spoke to Axios on Tuesday.
One official said, “She has received death threats and reached out to the Marshals Service. There’s a process to go through but she’s a member of Congress and we expect her request will be fulfilled.”
The threats come days after Stevens appeared alongside Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers at a Detroit church on Sunday and endorsed him over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who had defeated Stevens in Michigan’s Senate primary earlier this year. Rogers and El-Sayed are competing for the seat in Tuesday’s election.
Stevens’ endorsement drew swift and sharp criticism from within her own party. Democratic strategist James Carville compared Stevens to a “used condom” and said Democrats didn’t consider her worth that much, adding a crude insult and a joke targeting Stevens and Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. Stevens has also been labeled a “traitor” by other critics in her party.
It remains unclear what specific threats were made against Stevens or who made them.
Stevens has not backed away from her decision. In response to the backlash, she said:
“We cannot preach inclusion while punishing dissent. We cannot promise to heal a divided country if we cannot tolerate disagreement among ourselves.”
The outcome of Michigan’s Senate race was set to be decided Tuesday night.
