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Haley Stevens
American politician (born 1983) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Haley Maria Stevens[1] (born June 24, 1983) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 11th congressional district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Stevens represents most of urbanized Oakland County, including many of Detroit's northern suburbs. She is currently a candidate in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Michigan.
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Early life and career
Stevens was born in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and was first raised there before moving to Birmingham, Michigan, while in middle school.[2] She graduated from Seaholm High School in Birmingham[3] in 2001 and went to American University in Washington, D.C., from which she attained a Bachelor of Arts in political science and philosophy in 2005. In 2006, she was hired by the Michigan Democratic Party as a field organizer. In 2007, she received a Master of Arts in social policy and philosophy from American University and began working for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. She transitioned to Barack Obama's presidential campaign after Obama won the Democratic primaries.[4]
In 2009, Steven Rattner hired Stevens to join the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry.[5] Stevens next worked for the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute in Chicago, returning to Michigan in 2017.[6]
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U.S. House of Representatives
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Elections
2018
During January and February 2017, Stevens moved back to Rochester Hills after having lived outside Michigan to run for the United States House of Representatives seat in Michigan's 11th congressional district in April 2017. The district had been represented by two-term Republican Dave Trott.[7] While his spokesperson initially described Stevens as a "carpetbagger", Trott announced his retirement in September 2017, making the 11th district an open seat.[6][7] Stevens defeated state Representative Tim Greimel in the Democratic Party primary election[8] and Republican businesswoman Lena Epstein in the general election.[9] Her 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.[10]
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.[11]
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.[12][13]
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.[14]
2020
Stevens ran for reelection. She was unopposed in the Democratic primary.[15] In the general election, she defeated the Republican nominee, Eric Esshaki, in a tighter race than expected.[16]
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.[17][13]
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.[18][19] Stevens' home in Rochester Hills was drawn out of the district. She opted to move to Waterford and follow most of her constituents into the 11th, setting up a primary challenge against Levin.[20] She reportedly outspent Levin by a factor of five.[18] Much of her support was driven by the pro-Israel lobby which had spent $3 million on her campaign by July.[21] 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.[22] Stevens defeated Andy Levin, 60%-40%.[23][24][25] Her victory was aided by $5 million from EMILY's List-affiliated donors[19] 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".[26][27][28] Despite its large spending against Levin, AIPAC's ads did not mention its motivation for supporting Stevens.[29]
Stevens won the general election against Republican Mark Ambrose with 61.3% of the vote.[30]
2024
Stevens was challenged by Ahmed Ghanim in the Democratic primary. She won renomination with 87.1% of the vote.[31] In the general election, she won reelection against Republican Nick Somberg and Green Party candidate Douglas Campbell with 58.2% of the vote.[32] Stevens has the worst wins-above-replacement (WAR) rating among the six House Democrats from Michigan, according to Split Ticket.[33]
Stevens voted in March 2023 with Democrats to oppose legislation proposed by Republicans to ban transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.[34]
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".[35] As Kamala Harris consolidated support as the new nominee after Biden dropped out, Stevens immediately endorsed her.[36]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
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2026 U.S. Senate election
In April 2025, Stevens announced that she would run in the 2026 United States Senate election in Michigan.[44] It was reported by multiple media outlets that her candidacy was backed by the Democratic Senate leadership, including Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).[45][46][47][48][49]
Political positions
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Stevens is a centrist Democrat.[50][51][52][53] Stevens supported Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer's leadership after he backed a Republican-led stopgap funding bill in March 2025 to avoid a government shutdown, calling him "a great leader" who got Michigan investments through the CHIPS Act.[54]
Campaign finance
Stevens supports campaign finance reform, including sponsoring legislation to set and enforce limits on political spending, but has also not sworn off support, directly receiving $1.7 million from corporate PACs since 2018 after excluding outside spending.[55]
Economic policy
Stevens supports investments in manufacturing and technology along with workforce development programs, and is part of the Women in STEM Caucus.[56]
Immigration
Stevens voted to express gratitude for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), amid protests against the agency in Los Angeles.[57] Stevens has supported legislation for undocumented workers and families to obtain driver's licenses in Michigan.[58]
Israel-Palestine
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."[59] 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 arrest warrants being issued for 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".[60] She has received praise from the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC for her support of Israel and described it as America's "strong ally", "a democracy, and a beacon of hope" in April 2025.[61]
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Personal life
Stevens lives in Birmingham, Michigan.[7] She and Rob Gulley, a software engineer she met in high school, were engaged in 2020.[62] They married on September 3, 2021.[63] On October 5, 2022, Stevens and Gulley announced their divorce.[64]
Electoral history
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See also
References
External links
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