Rep. Haley Stevens' Washington office locked as House returns to session

On Monday, 9 November, the door to Rep. Haley Stevens' office in the Rayburn House Office Building was locked by the afternoon, on the first sitting day of the House since September. Knocks from a reporter and from a staffer in another office drew no response, and a sign inviting visitors to come in hung on the closed door. Votes were not set until 6:30 p.m. that day, and staff for other members were working in their own offices as usual on session days. Peering through the mail slot, the reporter could see that the lights appeared to be off inside.

Calls to Stevens' Capitol Hill office went straight to voicemail without ringing, and a message on that line pointed callers to her district office in Farmington Hills, Michigan, where a call also went unanswered. Emails seeking comment from her campaign and her congressional office had not been answered at the time of publication. Questions remain about whether she will return for the rest of the Congress.

The empty office follows a week in which many staffers left after Stevens made a late endorsement of Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed, the Democrat who had beaten her in a nasty August primary. El-Sayed went on to beat Rogers by 7 points.