Stevens Campaign Accused of Fabricating Rival’s Endorsement

The Stevens campaign distributed an email mimicking official El-Sayed communications, complete with campaign branding, to allege that Rogers preferred to face the progressive candidate in the general election. While the underlying quote from Rogers—suggesting he would be in good shape against El-Sayed—is authentic, the claim of an endorsement is entirely fabricated. Reporters noted that the message was meticulously designed to appear as a legitimate campaign announcement.

Media critic Adam Johnson questioned the integrity of the tactic, noting that candidates typically project confidence regardless of their opponent. He highlighted a broader pattern of questionable financial ties, observing that Stevens’ campaign is heavily supported by AIPAC’s United Democracy Project, which counts major Republican donors among its primary backers. This incident follows previous controversy involving pro-Stevens advertisements that heavily implied an endorsement from Barack Obama, which never occurred. The El-Sayed campaign condemned the move, labeling it a pattern of disinformation that undermines the primary process.