Rep. Haley Stevens stays connected with Jewish constituents amid pandemic

“There’s jokes about extroverted politicians and shelter-in-place,” quipped Haley Stevens, the 36-year-old Michigan congresswoman, at the beginning of a recent Zoom call with some of her Jewish supporters in and around Detroit. “It’s all my favorite people!”

It was late on a Tuesday afternoon — the seventh night of Passover — and the freshman Democrat looked a bit lonely as she beamed into the meeting from her home in Rochester Hills. 

Just weeks earlier, Stevens made headlines thanks to an impassioned House floor speech — while wearing pink latex gloves — exhorting her colleagues to take the coronavirus seriously, shouting over the gavel as her time ran out.

Now she is living a quieter life back in Michigan, while doing her best to stay connected. As the coronavirus pandemic has forced millions of Americans indoors, politicians have shifted their campaign strategies, relying on Zoom calls, Facebook streams and virtual town halls to keep in touch with voters.

Since 2019, Stevens has represented a suburban enclave northwest of Detroit that is historically represented by Republicans — and so maintaining relationshipswith Michiganders is a high priority for Stevens, even more so in an election year.

“Haley’s doing amazing things connecting with her constituents over social media,” said Rachel Neuhausen, a friend of Stevens who helped arrange the Zoom call earlier this week. “She’s a deeply empathetic leader, sincere and meaningful in her communications, and I wanted to share some of that love within my community directly.”