Former Obama Speechwriter Jon Favreau Wants Haley Stevens Off TV

Jon Favreau, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama and co-host of Pod Save America, said Democratic Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan should stop giving interviews. Two days earlier she had endorsed Republican Mike Rogers over her party's Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed.

"I think everyone, including Haley Stevens, would be better off if Haley Stevens just went away," Favreau said in an episode released Tuesday as polls opened in the midterm elections.

The remark was about her media appearances and the damage he said they were doing in the last hours of one of the country's most-watched Senate races. He was not calling on her to resign.

Jon Favreau on Haley Stevens' Anderson Cooper Interview

Favreau said his view shifted after Stevens' Sunday night interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper. He had already vented about the endorsement in a YouTube video.

"Someone who knows her, who she's still listening to, has to just like get her off TV and stop doing press," he said.

Tommy Vietor, a former Obama national security spokesman and Favreau's co-host, said he had felt bad for Stevens after the CNN appearance. Then, he said, he woke up Tuesday to find her on a media tour that included the Free Press and Scott Jennings's radio program. Favreau did not share that sympathy.

"Yeah, to be clear, I don't feel bad for her at all. I feel like for her own sake, but also for all the rest of the damage she's doing," he said.

Favreau also argued that the demands Stevens made of El-Sayed before she switched sides were never sincere. He said "none of this was on the level." In his view, El-Sayed's critics really wanted him to drop his position on Israel.

What Haley Stevens Said, and Said Before

Stevens endorsed Rogers on Sunday morning, after going to church with him and holding a press conference, Favreau said. She had told fellow Democrats the night before that she would not.

On CNN, Cooper read back an August post in which Stevens called Rogers a "rubber stamp" for President Donald Trump's agenda. He also raised Representative Debbie Dingell's account that Stevens told her around midnight that she would not endorse Rogers. Stevens did not answer directly.

Cooper also asked Stevens about reports that more than half of her staff had quit. She replied, "I have an incredible team in Washington."

Final Times/Siena Poll Shows El-Sayed Ahead

The Pod Save America hosts doubted the endorsement would decide the race, and the final polling supports them. A New York Times/Siena College poll released Sunday gave El-Sayed a 53 percent to 42 percent lead. Favreau said El-Sayed wins 96% of Kamala Harris voters in the poll, while 2% back Rogers.

Favreau's reading of the poll was blunt. "Democrats for Mike Rogers is not a real thing, at least in this poll, unless the poll was completely wrong," he said.

Favreau called it "probably Abdul's best result in a poll that we've seen." PolitiKool's polling average shows a closer race, with El-Sayed at 50.2 percent and Rogers at 45 percent, a 5.2-point lead.

Vietor said: "I kinda think her antics won't have a big impact on the outcome." Jon Lovett, a former Obama speechwriter and the show's third host, said that after strong criticism of Stevens from party leaders, "I think it's a unifying moment."

What Happens Next

Stevens' break has given Republicans a closing argument. Senator Ted Cruz said it could "ensure" a GOP Senate win. On CNN, Stevens also named streamer Hasan Piker as one reason she crossed party lines, which drew his response.

With Senate control rated a toss-up, Michigan is one of several seats Democrats are counting on. Tuesday's count will show whether any Democrats followed Stevens to Rogers.