Haley Stevens' GOP Endorsement Was Personal, Not Political, Lis Smith Says

Haley Stevens says she's following her conscience by backing a Republican ... but Democratic strategist Lis Smith thinks she's really following her hurt feelings.

Lis joined "TMZ Live" Monday to break down Stevens' shocking endorsement of Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed ... calling the last-minute flip "personal grievance masquerading as political principle."

Lis says Stevens had two months to speak out against El-Sayed after losing the Democratic primary ... but instead spent that time publicly supporting him ... so why the sudden change of heart two days before the election?

According to Lis, it may all come down to Stevens getting disinvited from an El-Sayed campaign church service ... with the strategist suggesting bruised feelings, not political differences, pushed Stevens over the edge.

Lis also took issue with where Stevens announced her support for Rogers -- a Black church -- questioning whether she was using Black voters as political props.

And she didn't sugarcoat the potential fallout ... saying Stevens may have torched her political career overnight, while arguing the endorsement could actually backfire by making El-Sayed look like an anti-establishment underdog.

As TMZ previously reported ... Stevens stunned Democrats Sunday by endorsing Rogers after clashing with El-Sayed over an ad she condemned as antisemitic, which he ultimately disavowed.

Meanwhile, TMZ caught up with journalist Kara Swisher in NYC Monday ... and she told us she "feels sorry" for Stevens ... saying she's "going through something" and that it sounds like friends are concerned about her mental health.

Kara also called the controversy a distraction she doesn't believe will affect the election.