Haley Stevens Among 11 Democrats Who Skipped Pete Hegseth's Impeachment Vote, Allegedly Received AIPAC Money

Eleven House Democrats, including Michigan Representative Haley Stevens, missed Tuesday's vote on referring Pete Hegseth's impeachment resolution to committee in Washington, prompting scrutiny of their reported ties to pro-Israel campaign funding. The House voted 211–204 on 10 November to refer the defence secretary's impeachment resolution to the Judiciary Committee, effectively halting the effort.

The vote followed Republican Thomas Massie's introduction of eight articles of impeachment challenging Hegseth's conduct during military operations, including the war in Iran. Democrats are projected to take control of both chambers of Congress following their midterm election victories, intensifying questions about the administration's military leadership.

Haley Stevens and the 11 Democrats Missing From the Vote

The House Clerk identified Julia Brownley, Lou Correa, Laura Gillen, Steven Horsford, Jonathan Jackson, Nancy Pelosi, Brittany Pettersen, Melanie Stansbury, Haley Stevens, Marilyn Strickland and Frederica Wilson as not voting.

According to Federal Election Commission records compiled by SignalData, 10 of the 11 lawmakers received contributions through the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) political action committee (PAC) between January 2022 and October 2026. Stevens received approximately $1.17 million (£878,000) through AIPAC PAC.

Separately, AIPAC-affiliated super PAC United Democracy Project spent approximately $14.37 million (£10.78 million) independently supporting her campaign. This was independent political spending, not money paid directly to her campaign.

Gillen received approximately $467,000 (£350,000) through AIPAC PAC, followed by Strickland with $291,000 (£218,000), Horsford with $186,000 (£140,000) and Pelosi with $15,000 (£11,000).

Brownley received approximately $63,000 (£47,000), Pettersen $72,000 (£54,000), Correa $54,000 (£41,000), Wilson $33,000 (£25,000) and Jackson $13,000 (£10,000). Stansbury had no recorded contributions through AIPAC PAC during the period covered by the data.

However, the figures do not establish that the contributions influenced the lawmakers' absences or that they coordinated to prevent Hegseth's impeachment.

Some lawmakers have disputed any suggestion that missing the vote meant supporting Hegseth. Correa said he was in California for a medical procedure and had been advised against travelling, while Pettersen said she had been denied the opportunity to vote.

Stansbury and Jackson separately said traffic delays prevented them from reaching the House chamber before the vote closed. Both subsequently said they had filed votes against the motion in the Congressional Record, although these did not change the official result.

How the Absent Democrats Affected the Pete Hegseth Impeachment Effort

The procedural motion passed with 210 Republicans and one independent in favour. All 203 Democrats who voted opposed it, alongside Massie, the sole Republican voting against referral.

Seven Republicans also missed the vote. Had all 11 absent Democrats voted against referral, the motion would have failed 211–215. Just eight additional opposing votes would have been enough to defeat it.

The result was not an acquittal. Referring the articles to the Judiciary Committee prevented a direct impeachment vote in the House, without deciding whether the allegations were substantiated.

Trump celebrated on Truth Social, writing, 'The Democrats' attempt to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has miserably FAILED!' He added, 'Every single Republican, except Thomas Massie, a major LOSER, voted in favor of Pete.'

Trump Denies Considering Pete Hegseth's Dismissal

The impeachment setback also followed reports that Trump had privately asked advisers whether Hegseth should remain in his administration after Republicans' midterm losses.

CBS News reported that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was floated as a possible replacement. The speculation reflected political anger over the Iran war, which Vice President JD Vance blamed for the Republican defeat.

Trump rejected the prospect of Hegseth's dismissal when questioned on 4 November. 'No, I think he's doing a very good job,' he said.