Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) continues to face backlash after endorsing Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s hotly contested Senate race.
But at least now she has a ludicrously capacious hat to hide behind until the headlines blow over:
Stevens donned the huge sun hat as she and her mom went to cast their vote in Birmingham, Michigan, on Tuesday morning. Trailing behind the pair was her fiancé, Jason Turkish, a lawyer and donor whom former staffers say used his clout to encourage Stevens to endorse Rogers ― a claim Stevens has denied.
When NewsNation asked whether endorsing Rogers was worth the backlash, Stevens looked up from beneath her hat and said it “absolutely” was.
“Look, I’m with my mom, this is our tradition here. You know what this is? It’s the people’s day,” Stevens said. The outgoing Democrat had a little more to say ― mostly, she told people to go read her 890-word AI-assisted plea for understanding that she posted on her X account ― but honest to God, it was hard to pay attention to anything she said with that enormous hat on her head.
Naturally, the internet had jokes.
“Nothing says I’m doing great like wearing a bizarrely gigantic hat for no reason,” joked writer and producer Sam Greisman in a retweet of the clip.
It’s giving Carmen San Diego, some said of the hat, which, if you’re wondering, is a Vince Camuto straw Panama hat that’s now sold out in some regions. (OK, Haley Stevens: style tastemaker?)
Others couldn’t wrap their head around why someone would choose to wear a straw beach hat in Michigan when it’s chilly and almost Thanksgiving. Others thought she looked like she was entering her villain era, complete with an over-the-top disguise.
Stevens has become a bit of a Democratic pariah in the last few days. On Sunday, she posted a video endorsing Rogers, a Republican, for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat. The last-minute flip-flop drew outrage among Democrats and resignations among her staff.
In an interview with Anderson Cooper hours after she switched over to team Rogers, Stevens said that endorsing the Republican over El-Sayed was a big “weight off my shoulders.” Judging by that hat, she’s got enough weight up there already.
Below, we’ve rounded up some of the funniest tweets about Rogers’ ridiculous sun hat because a hat like that deserves its moment.
