Republican Senate hopeful Mike Rogers is sharpening a campaign message built on affordability, energy independence, education reform, manufacturing revival, and a promise to restore bipartisan problem-solving as he seeks to flip a long-held Democratic seat in Michigan this November.
According to Breitbart, Rogers and Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action) senior adviser Tim Golding are framing the race as a stark ideological choice for voters. They argue that while Democrats veer left under the influence of national progressive figures, Rogers is offering a practical, conservative agenda focused on working families, economic growth, and restoring common sense in Lansing and Washington.
Rogers, a former congressman and intelligence committee chairman, said Mondays Democratic Senate debate confirmed his view that Rep. Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed are both too extreme for Michigan. I think the crazy train has arrived in Michigan, Rogers said. I think Bernie Sanders is throwing the coal in the fire, and AOC is the engineer, and those two Democrat candidates are riding that train.
He contended that the general election will present a clear contrast between progressive ideology and results-oriented conservatism. Rogers said the race would be centered on getting manufacturing back and getting our kids reading, issues he believes Democrats have neglected in favor of ideological crusades.
Theyre not talking about any of these real problems that were facing here in Michigan, Rogers said. He argued that while Democrats chase national progressive trends, families in the state are struggling with basic cost-of-living pressures and declining educational outcomes.
Rogers also highlighted El-Sayeds associations and record as warning signs for Michigan voters. He pointed to El-Sayeds ties to left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker, saying El-Sayed campaigned with Hassan Piker, who believed America deserved 9/11. He additionally questioned El-Sayeds account of his tenure as a health director, saying, what he said he did and what he did were two different things.
For Rogers, the Senate contest is not just about one seat but about reversing what he describes as a long slide under Democratic dominance. Democrats have had both of these Senate seats for the better part of a quarter century. Theyve had Lansing for eight years, Rogers said. Weve lost 200,000 manufacturing jobs. Our education is now 45th in the country. We have the highest utility rates in the Midwest. We had the highest auto insurance rates in the country.
This is a change election, and Im going to be the change that gets Michigan back working again, he added. He is explicitly tying Democratic control to economic decline, higher costs, and failing schools, arguing that voters are ready to break with the status quo.
Rogers dismissed El-Sayeds effort during the debate to distance himself from socialism. Asked about El-Sayeds statement that he is not a socialist, Rogers responded, If you walk like a duck, you quack like a duck. Guess what? In Michigan, we know youre a duck. He is absolutely a socialist, Rogers said, pointing to El-Sayeds criminal-justice positions and support from prominent progressive figures. You cant bring in leading socialists from around the country, like Bernie Sanders and AOC and Ilhan Omar, and then wonder why people dont believe you.
Golding, whose organization has thrown its weight behind Rogers, said the Democratic debate has not altered AFP Actions strategy. Were talking about Mike Rogers and what Mike Rogers brings to the table and his conservative policy ideas and agenda, Golding said, pointing to Rogerss proposals on education, permitting, and energy reform.
At the heart of Rogerss platform is an affordability agenda that he says begins with restoring American energy dominance. Rogers said his affordability agenda would begin by unleashing American energy to reduce energy prices.
He laid blame for Michigans rising costs squarely on Democratic energy policies at both the state and federal levels. Rogers blamed Michigans cost pressures on state and federal energy policies. In our state legislature, they bought into that whole Green New Deal nonsense, and it has raised our utility rates to the highest in the Midwest, Rogers said. Were about 20 percent higher than the national average.
Rogers argued that regulatory overreach has driven up energy bills and squeezed working families. Rogers said his administration would reverse regulations affecting energy costs. Were going to make sure that those regulations are gone, and so that we can finally have more money at the end of the month than we have bills, he said. Right now, thats really hard for working families here in Michigan.
Beyond energy, Rogers is also targeting housing affordability, particularly for younger Michiganders trying to get a foothold in the middle class. Addressing housing, Rogers said, I have a plan to get young people to have the opportunity to save tax-free for a down payment of a house, get credit for their rent payments, which dont happen today.
Golding said that as AFP Action canvasses the state, voters repeatedly express a desire for less partisan warfare and more cooperation to solve concrete problems. People want to see civility, and they want to see things happen without all the partisan fighting, Golding said.
He added that Rogerss policy-heavy message resonates with voters across the spectrum when they hear it directly. When people hear Mike talk about his plans for permitting reform and energy of abundance from all sources, which is 100 percent in line with what we like at AFP, their ears perk up, he added.
Rogers said his own travels across Michigan confirm that the electorate is focused on pocketbook issues rather than ideological labels. Its really about affordability, Rogers said. They want people that can go back, put coalitions together to get these things done.
Golding said AFP Action is even finding potential support among Democrats and left-leaning voters, especially if the party nominates El-Sayed. Especially if the Marxist socialist progressive person gets elected in the primary and comes through, there are going to be people that are not going to vote that way, Golding said. Theyre going to jump ship and vote for Mike.
Education is another major concern for Michigan families, and Golding said it is a recurring theme at the doors. Golding said Michigan voters are also concerned about the states education system. Despite spending more money every year per pupil, our results keep going the wrong direction, Golding said.
Rogers has made early literacy and career readiness central to his education agenda, arguing that the system is failing both students and employers. Rogers said literacy in the fourth grade is an important part of his education agenda, along with putting shop back in school and expanding access to shop classes.
He warned that an overemphasis on screens and theory has crowded out practical skills and pathways into the trades. Weve gone so digital, Rogers said, adding that shop classes could introduce students to skilled-trade careers offering really good pay and really good career opportunities without substantial college debt.
You can take care of a family, you can buy a house, you can get a car, Rogers said. He added that the proposal to put shop classes back in schools has been wildly popular.
Rogers has also been outspoken about free speech and campus culture, particularly the treatment of conservative groups and Jewish students at major universities. Asked about vandalism and free speech violations involving conservative organizations on college campuses, Rogers recalled a saying from his mother: Your free speech ends at the end of your fist touching the beginning of my nose.
When theyre committing acts of vandalism, that is the end of their fist touching the beginning of your nose, Rogers said. I just dont think we should tolerate it.
He argued that destroying banners and targeting student groups is not protected expression but criminal behavior that universities must address. Rogers said destroying banners is not protected speech and that universities should not tolerate vandalism. Weve got to get universities understanding there should be diversity of thought, Rogers said. He also pointed to what he described as huge antisemitic problems at campuses like University of Michigan.
What we need to do is make sure that the universities protect that kind of free speech and not encourage vandalism, Rogers said. He framed the issue as a test of whether institutions of higher learning will defend genuine intellectual diversity or capitulate to radical activists.
Golding said AFP Actions endorsement of Rogers followed a rigorous internal review and reflected confidence in both his work ethic and his policy alignment with the groups free-market principles. Golding said AFP Action endorsed Rogers because of his work ethic, policy agenda, and performance during the organizations candidate review process. Besides being one of the hardest-working candidates out there and going out there every day trying to win peoples votes and having good policy solutions, thats the biggest thing, Golding said. He is aligned with our policies, whether thats energy, education, healthcare reforms, all those different things.
He emphasized that AFP Action does not hand out endorsements lightly and subjects candidates to a thorough vetting process. Golding said AFP Action has a pretty detailed process for evaluating candidates in every race. Mike passed all those tests, passed with flying colors, and hes the right candidate, Golding said. Hes going to be fantastic.
On the ground, AFP Action is mounting an aggressive field operation designed to reach voters directly at their homes rather than relying on television ads or polling memos. Golding said AFP Action has boots on the ground every day and set a goal of contacting approximately 1.2 million Michigan voters at their homes before Election Day. Thus far, I think were right at 500,000 doors, Golding said. Thats just our organization across the state.
Rogers said his own campaign is running a parallel grassroots effort, underscoring the scale of conservative organizing in a state that has become a key battleground. Rogers said his campaign has independently reached approximately 400,000 to 500,000 doors, while other organizations are also conducting voter outreach. This is a huge, massive effort, and were touching voters with, I think, a positive message about Michigans future, Rogers said.
Golding said AFP Action has pushed all our chips to the center of the table in support of Rogers, signaling that the group views the Michigan Senate race as a top-tier priority. Were all in, and were having real conversations every day, Golding said. Its not a poll. Its actually people talking to us and interacting with us, and its resonating.
Rogers, for his part, praised AFP Actions network of activists as a force multiplier for his campaign and a sign of conservative enthusiasm. Rogers praised AFP Actions organizers and volunteers as phenomenal and great to work with. The people are fired up. Theyre committed to the cause, Rogers said. Theyre proving it with their legs. Theyre going door to door and knocking.
As Michigan heads toward November, Rogers and his allies are betting that a message centered on lower costs, reliable energy, stronger schools, and restored manufacturing can peel away not only independents but also disaffected Democrats uneasy with a party drifting toward the far left. With Democrats defending a Senate seat they have held for decades and progressives rallying behind candidates like El-Sayed, the race is shaping up as a referendum on whether Michigan will double down on Green New Deal-style policies and campus radicalism or embrace a more traditional, pro-growth, law-and-order conservatism that Rogers insists is the change that gets Michigan back working again.
Login