Mike Rogers — former Congressman, former State Senator, former FBI agent, Army veteran, and one of Livingston County’s favorite sons — is reportedly tying up some loose-end business issues before announcing a run for the GOP nomination to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabnow.
MIRS News is reporting that Rogers has “received strong encouragement, especially from those disaffected Republicans who are looking for someone to reunite a badly divided state party,” and that those who have closed their checkbooks because of the new state party leaders have reportedly told Rogers they will re-open those checkbooks to help him out.
Rogers will need those open checkbooks.
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s campaign to replace fellow Democrat Stabenow announced last month that it raised $2.8 million in the second quarter of 2023, bringing its total haul to over $5.8 million since the beginning of the year — the most raised in the first two quarters by any U.S. Senate campaign in Michigan history.
Slotkin also leads Rogers 44% to 38% in a hypothetical head-to-head match-up for the 2024 open U.S. Senate seat according to a July 11-13 Mitchell Research and Communications survey with MIRS News.
Rogers has been making moves that suggest he’s been considering a run for U.S. Senate. He attended the Livingston County GOP picnic in May as the event’s “special guest.” In addition to that, Rogers has made appearances around Michigan, including giving a speech for the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, and appearing at an event of the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce.
He’s been living in Florida, though, and will need to move back to Michigan.
Rogers and Slotkin — said to be friends — are cut from the same national security cloth. Slotkin’s served on the Homeland Security, Armed Services, and Veterans Affairs committees; Rogers was chair of the House Intelligence Committee.
If it is a Slotkin versus Rogers race, it will be a barn burner. Both are among the most talented politicians and greatest retail campaigners around. What is also interesting about the match-up is that Rogers and Slotkin — along with Stabenow, who they will be vying to replace — have represented Livingston County in Congress.
State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder and business executive Michael Hoover are currently the only two Republicans to report raising money for a U.S. Senate campaign. Attorney Alexandria Taylor has launched a campaign for the GOP nomination, as well.
In addition to Slotkin, other candidates running in the Democratic primary to replace Stabenow include actor Hill Harper; businessperson Nasser Beydoun; attorney Zack Burns; former state Rep. Leslie Love; and Pamela Pugh, who is currently serving as president of the Michigan State Board of Education.
