Hayley Stevens reminds us to vote for principles over party, even in California

Would you teach your children to rise to defend someone just because they were on the same team, even if they knew that person was in the wrong? If not, why do we do that at the ballot box?As a mother of four, I have spent my life instructing them that character is more important than labels.Not only that, but integrity trumps popularity, and doing what is right requires courage.  Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

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Never miss a story.And yet, as Election Day approaches, I worry too many Californians have forgotten those lessons.When Hayley Stevens of Michigan, a Democrat, said she was withdrawing her endorsement of fellow Democrat Abdul El-Sayed for Senate because he would not denounce antisemitism, her party attacked her instead of the anti-Jewish prejudice on display.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Stevens’ moral stand “a despicable betrayal from Rep.

Stevens,” and Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said, “Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.”American families pay the price for such blind partisan allegiance.In her endorsement of Republican candidate Mike Rogers, Stevens made it clear that she remains a proud Democrat.Rather than fall in line behind her party’s nominee, she chose to support a Republican.

She characterized her decision as a matter of leadership, and of integrity.This is the type of independent thinking we should actively encourage. We should strive to evaluate candidates individually, interrogate our political allegiances and make decisions based on the values we believe in — as opposed to the party label adjacent to a candidate’s name.Supporting one Democrat on certain specific issues does not entail endorsing each and every Democrat.In the same wa...