As the general election officially kicks off, Michigan Democrats are laser-focused on a single mission: Winning in November. And Abdul El-Sayed is the candidate who will get it done.
Michiganders rejected Mike Rogers 2024 because of his record of spinning through the revolving door to enrich himself at our expense. We'll beat him in 2026 by once again exposing Rogers for who he truly is: a self-serving multimillionaire who abandoned Michigan and does the bidding of the special interests cutting him checks ‒ not the working families getting screwed over by the cost-raising policies he supports.
Michigan Democrats are in a position of strength
What is absolutely undeniable now that the primary votes have been counted is Democrats have the momentum, energy, and enthusiasm at our backs. Democrats turned
out in huge numbers compared to Republican primary voters, beating them 1.5 million to 1 million – despite both parties having competitive statewide primaries.
Democratic turnout surpassed turnout in the 2016 presidential election, and almost matched the 2020 presidential election. These are unheard of numbers for a midterm primary in Michigan, and shows we’ve kept up our momentum since State Senator Chedrick Greene’s monumental win with 60% in his special election earlier this year – a 9-point swing towards Democrats.
Abdul El-Sayed fired up hundreds of thousands of Michiganders across the state – and he’s going to build on that enthusiasm to win for Democrats up and down the ballot in November.
Rogers represents everything people hate about politics
While Democrats are heading to the polls in record numbers, Republican Mike Rogers is dragged down by his record of sidling up to special interests and his toxic agenda.
When Rogers left Congress more than a decade ago, he got rich by cashing in on his D.C. connections, spinning through the revolving door to profit from the very industries he regulated in office, including companies with shady foreign interests. As a result, he saw his net worth increase up to $14.6 million – then he used that wealth to move into a Florida mansion, abandoning Michigan entirely. Only when he saw an opportunity to grab more power did he bother to parachute back into the state.
But Rogers’ allegiance to corporations doesn’t stop at the revolving door. While in Congress, he was a reliable vote for the corporate special interests cutting him checks. His campaigns and PACs took $1 million from Big Pharma and the insurance industries, and in return, he became their leading advocate for expanding access to opioids, blocking efforts to lower prescription drug prices, and jacking up Michiganders’ monthly healthcare premiums. And when the Gordie Howe Bridge threatened to compete with the Ambassador Bridge owned by his major donors, the billionaire Moroun family, Rogers repeatedly said its opening should be delayed, putting jobs and economic growth for Michigan on hold.
This is the fundamental choice before voters this November: Someone who fights for Michigan families and lower costs like El-Sayed, or an out-of-touch multimillionaire from Florida like Mike Rogers who serves corporate special interests and Trump.
Michigan can’t afford another rubber stamp for Trump’s toxic agenda
Trump's approval rating in Michigan sits at a record-low of 33 percent after his failed policies have driven up the cost of gas, groceries, and health care.
Yet Rogers is still promising to be a loyal vote for Trump’s toxic agenda. Rogers strongly supports Trump’s reckless tariffs that are jacking up grocery prices and destroying Michigan manufacturing jobs. He backs Trump’s healthcare cuts that raise premiums and strip coverage from hundreds of thousands of Michiganders. And he’s all-in on continuing Trump’s Iran War, even as it sends gas prices soaring.
What’s worse is how Rogers dismisses legitimate concerns about these rising costs.
When Michiganders worry about the Iran War driving up gas prices, Rogers says “we’re gonna be fine, we got plenty of oil,” and when families struggle with tariffs raising grocery prices, he mocks: “Oh my gosh, coffee went up. You know, horror.”
And if you dare criticize how his and Trump's agenda is raising your cost of living? Rogers says you’re "nuts" with “Trump Derangement.”
A multimillionaire who owns a Florida mansion is telling Michigan families they’re crazy for worrying about putting food on the table. This is who Mike Rogers is.
Michiganders deserve a senator who will fight for working families, lower costs, and always put Michigan first—not a self-serving multimillionaire like Mike Rogers who only fights for himself, Trump and the corporate special interests writing him checks.
That’s why Democrats are fired up to elect Abdul El-Sayed, and why I’m confident Michigan voters will send Mike Rogers to the curb for the second time. Let's win this.
Curtis Hertel is chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters and we may publish it in print or online.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Don't believe the hype: Democrats are in lockstep for November | Opinion
