Dem Loser’s Fiancé Hit With Alarming Claims After Her MAGA Endorsement
“She’s on an island with this guy who’s like, not very nice to her,” a former staffer said.

Photo Illustration by Eric Faison/The Daily Beast/Getty
Haley Stevens’ former staffers are making alarming allegations about her fiancé after the congresswoman unexpectedly endorsed the Republican running against the Democrat who defeated her in Michigan’s Senate primary.
Stevens’ friend Jordan Acker claimed her fiancé, Jason Turkish, had taken away her phone—a claim Turkish denied—while former consultant Cailin Legacki described the couple’s relationship as “absolutely toxic” and said friends feared it was “emotionally abusive.”
The allegations emerged after Stevens appeared alongside Donald Trump-endorsed Mike Rogers on Sunday, reversing her support for Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.

Turkish touted his endorsement of Rogers all over Fox News.
Screenshot//Fox News
Acker, a University of Michigan regent, said in a lengthy X post Sunday that he had become “deeply troubled” by Turkish’s behavior.
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“Yesterday morning, afternoon, and evening, I spoke with @HaleyforMI several times,” Acker wrote in a lengthy post after Stevens endorsed Rogers outside Perfecting Church on Detroit’s east side.
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“At 8:58 this morning, she told me she intended to remain silent. I don’t know what changed in the two hours that followed.”
Acker then turned to Turkish, whom he said he respected as a “brilliant lawyer and advocate for disabled Americans.”
“But I have become deeply troubled by his behavior,” he said. “I’ve heard serious concerns about his treatment of Haley’s staff, friends, and allies. My own experiences have only deepened those concerns.”
When a user suggested that Acker speak to Stevens privately, he replied: “Her fiance took her phone away.”

Acker claimed that Stevens' fiancé took away her phone.
X
Turkish, meanwhile, disputed Acker’s account in a reply from his now-private X account, alleging that Stevens “turned off her phone because of the amount of incoming calls,” according to a post obtained by Zeteo reporter Prem Thakker.
“You are welcome to come over whenever you want. No need to make things up,” he wrote, adding that he “could not be prouder of [Stevens’] courage to make this difficult and personal decision.”
Turkish and a spokesperson for Stevens did not immediately respond to questions from the Daily Beast. More than half of Stevens’ staff, including her communications director, quit after she endorsed Rogers.
Cailin Legacki, a former consultant for Stevens who was ousted in July after her work with Palantir was exposed, also voiced concerns about Turkish during an appearance on the podcast Nobody Knows Anything, describing their relationship as “absolutely toxic.”
“I’ve spoken to some of Haley’s close personal friends who are concerned that it is emotionally abusive,” she said. “She’s on an island with this guy who’s like, not very nice to her.”
During the Democratic primary, Legacki recalled that Turkish would frequently send Stevens the “meanest” X posts about her while she was campaigning.
“It was just so clearly designed to spin her up, to make her distrustful of the people around her, to make her think that nobody actually cared about her,” she said.
Turkish, a disability advocate and lawyer who is Jewish, had announced last week that he would vote for Rogers over El-Sayed, citing tensions between the progressive Muslim and the Jewish community over his criticisms of Israel.
A Stevens insider told The Washington Post that Turkish had lobbied Stevens to back Rogers, despite her private assurances to figures including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

El-Sayed brushed off Stevens' endorsement of his opponent on Sunday.
Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images
Former Michigan Gov. Jim Blanchard, another close ally, claimed Stevens told him she planned to double down on her support for El-Sayed just 48 hours before reversing course. At a dinner with Stevens and Turkish on Friday, Blanchard said he noticed that Turkish was “working her over,” in an interview with Gongwer News Service.
Blanchard claimed Turkish was “distraught” over Stevens’ support for El-Sayed.
“I let her know, he’s not a good influence,” he recounted. “She said, ‘I’m fine.’”
Stevens’ endorsement landed in the closing days of the Senate race, though a New York Times poll released Sunday showed El-Sayed leading Rogers 53 percent to 42 percent.
El-Sayed, for his part, received a record-breaking number of donations on Sunday. If elected, the Michigander would be the first Muslim senator.
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