In an attempt to inject some energy into her Senate campaign during a recent campaign stop, Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., inadvertently created a moment that sparked online mockery.
“I am going to be working on our behalf. I am going to be telling the stories on our behalf. And you better believe I’m going to bring it with a little bit of enthusiasm, a little bit of energy, and a little bit of stick-it-to-them,” Stevens said.
“Because that’s the Michigan way, right?”
The remarks, which come just three weeks before Michigan’s Senate primaries, are raising criticisms that Stevens is not charismatic enough to take on progressive Democratic challenger Abdul El-Sayed.
“Maybe Abdul El-Sayed is winning hearts and minds in liberal Michigan… or maybe he’s just running against this?” Brent Scher, editor-in-chief for the Daily Wire, said in a post to X.
In recent weeks, the Michigan primary has drawn national attention as it pits El-Sayed, a candidate pushing the party further left on issues like healthcare and international affairs, against Stevens, an establishment figure with the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY.
Those lines grew clearer as a third Democratic candidate, Mallory McMorrow, dropped out of the race earlier this month, taking away a third, more middle-of-the-road option.
It’s unclear whether El-Sayed or Stevens will benefit more from McMorrow’s exit.
Despite El-Sayed having drawn criticism for stances such as abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), demanding that the US reconsider its partnership with Israel, and past calls to defund the police, he has mounted a campaign that has gained national attention and momentum among progressives.
While Stevens has largely avoided controversy of her own, her presentation on the campaign trail continues to raise skepticism among critics.
“Is this for real?!” Fox News Political Analyst Lisa Boothe wrote on X.
“I just want to know why, and when, she chose to adopt this fake accent?” Chris Gustafson, the communications director for the Senate Leadership Fund, wrote on X. “Stevens’ ads from 2018 sound like an entirely different person. Make it make sense.”
“Again, national press, you gotta stop calling this a Michigan accent,” he added in another X post. “It’s offensive.”
Mario Nawfal, a social media personality, also pointed out the awkwardness of the Saturday clip.
“Republicans are trolling Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens HARD, saying she sounds just like Chris Farley. If she wins, they say they’ll be forced to live in a van, down by the river,” Nawful wrote.
“Move over, David Goggins, I’ve got Haley Stevens in my headphones,” Nathan Brand, a communications advisor for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), said sarcastically, referring to a famous motivational speaker.
Meghan McCain, another political commentator, compared the display to a moment that might appear on a sitcom.
“How is this not a character from Parks & Rec?” McCain said, referring to the political comedy based in Indiana.
Once having cleared the primary on Aug. 4, either Stevens or El-Sayed will advance to the state’s general election on Nov. 3.
