Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville is facing backlash after using vulgar language to attack Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens for endorsing Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
Speaking Sunday on the podcast Politicon, Carville compared Stevens to a “used condom,” claiming she had abandoned her party for little in return.
“But your political career is over … if you think that these Republicans are gonna treat you as anything other than what they view you as, and that is, let me just break the news to you: a used condom,” Carville said.
“The Democrats don’t even think you’re worth a used condom, but that’s about where you are,” he added.
Carville, 82, closed out the remarks by suggesting Stevens should open a cheeseburger restaurant with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), another Democrat known for breaking with his party.
The comments came two days before Election Day, after Stevens publicly endorsed Rogers following a falling-out with El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee she lost to by just 1 percentage point in Michigan’s primary.
Clips of Carville’s remarks quickly spread online, prompting criticism from across the political spectrum. Conservative commentator Scott Jennings wrote on X, “Never seen anything like the anti-woman crash out going on rn. Wow.” Actor Michael Rappaport wrote, “Where is GRAHAM PLATNER when we need him? This old bag of bones needs to be put away.” Another user wrote, “Questioning her motives is fair game. But the sexist vitriol she is receiving for endorsing the wrong candidate is disgusting.”
Top Michigan Democrats also condemned Stevens’ move. Michigan Democratic Party chairman Curtis Hertel issued a statement calling Rogers “Donald Trump’s handpicked candidate for Senate, a rubber stamp for Trump’s toxic agenda, and a corrupt politician looking out only for himself.”
“The Michigan Democratic Party stands united and fully behind Abdul El-Sayed, a proven, committed fighter for Michigan’s working families,” Hertel said. “Haley Stevens’ decision to campaign with Rogers—a man who has repeatedly sold out Michigan’s working class, wants to pass a national abortion ban, and has pledged to be a loyal vote for Trump’s agenda—shows that she has abandoned everything she claims to care about. We reject the attempts by Stevens and bad-faith actors to divide our party.”
As of now, El-Sayed holds a 4-point lead over Rogers in polling averaged by RealClearPolitics, though Rogers’ campaign says its own internal numbers show him ahead in the race.
