Mike Rogers — one of Livingston County’s favorite sons — is expected to make official on Monday what political watchers have been expecting: a run to fill the seat of U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, who is not running for re-election.
On Thursday, an email sent to supporters said that “Team Rogers will be coming together for an exciting announcement,” and that Monday is going to be a “huge day” in Michigan.
Democratic state Sen. Mallory McMorrow is the only candidate to have announced a U.S. Senate run thus far in a race that is expected to be huge and expensive.
Rogers lost the 2024 U.S. Senate contest to now-U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin by a margin of nearly 19,000 votes. Rogers and Slotkin each formerly represented Livingston County in the U.S. House.
Rogers is as close to political royalty in Livingston County as you get. He’s the youngest son of the late John Rogers, the longtime Brighton Township supervisor, and Joyce Rogers, the longtime executive director of the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce who is considered one of the most powerful people in Livingston County history.
Rogers grew up in Brighton and graduated from Howell High School. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army and with the FBI. He was first elected to the State Senate in 1994 and then to the U.S. House in 2000. He served in the House for seven terms, and when he left office in 2015, he was the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Other Democrats reportedly considering a run for the seat include Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel; U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham; Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, former director and health officer for the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services; and state Rep. Joe Tate of Detroit.
Other Republican contenders reportedly considering getting into the race include 2022 gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon; 2022 gubernatorial candidate Kevin Rinke; state Sen. Jonathan Lindsey of Coldwater; and U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga of Zeeland.
U.S. Rep. John James was considering the U.S. Senate race, but instead announced his candidacy for governor earlier this week.
