Mike Rogers has lost his bid for the Michigan Senate seat, underscoring voters’ rejection of his carpetbagging roots and election denialism. Throughout his campaign, Rogers struggled to defend a corrupt record marked by putting his own personal gain over the needs of Michiganders. His history of supporting extreme policies — including radical abortion bans, as well as his close ties to Big Pharma and foreign interests — revealed a troubling disconnect from the everyday concerns of Michiganders.
“Mike Rogers’ defeat is a clear signal that Michigan voters are fed up with his self-serving agenda,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Nico Delgado. “Rogers tried to return from Florida with empty promises, but voters saw through his deceptive attempts to cash in at their expense.”
See some of the stories that led to Rogers’ defeat:
- Detroit Free Press: Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers’ neighborhoods have everything but Mr. Rogers
- Jezebel: Michigan Republican in Tight Senate Race Says He’d Respect Abortion Rights. His Record Suggests Otherwise.
- CNN: How a one-time GOP critic found alliance with Trump in pivotal Michigan Senate race
See below for the lowlights that contributed to Rogers’ loss:
- Rogers is another Senate GOP carpetbagger – he lived in Florida for nearly a decade and had not voted in Michigan since 2016.
- Rogers got caught being registered to vote at a location where he wasn’t living.
- Rogers broke a voter registration law that he helped pass when he was in the Michigan state legislature.
- Rogers is an anti-abortion extremist who supported “all restrictions on abortion.”
- Rogers could not vote on Michigan Prop 3 as a Florida resident but said he would have voted against protecting abortion rights in Michigan’s Constitution.
Rogers co-sponsored bills to suspend FDA approval of medication abortion. - Rogers said it’s “absolutely critical” to defund Planned Parenthood.
- Rogers partnered with the Trump administration to gut funding for effective programs to prevent teen pregnancy.
- Rogers could not vote on Michigan Prop 3 as a Florida resident but said he would have voted against protecting abortion rights in Michigan’s Constitution.
- Rogers co-sponsored legislation four times that would make IVF illegal nationwide, and refuses to support federal protections for IVF.
- Rogers was in the pocket of Big Pharma and voted to oppose Medicare negotiating drug prices. Rogers recently called it “sugar high politics.”
- Rogers exacerbated Michigan’s opioid epidemic, taking money from the pharmaceutical industry while leading the charge to make access to opioids easier.
- Rogers was in the pocket of the NRA and opposed gun safety measures like banning dangerous assault weapons.
- Rogers voted against the Affordable Care Act and wanted it repealed, jeopardizing protections for nearly two million Michiganders with pre-existing conditions.
- Rogers used the connections made in Congress to walk through the revolving door to become filthy rich.
- Rogers personally got rich from Chinese companies, despite claiming to be tough on China.
- Rogers enriched himself through Saudi companies, including one with questionable nuclear ambitions.
- Rogers refused to say whether Trump lost the 2020 election.
- The Detroit Free Press editorial board dragged Rogers through the mud and called him “unfit to serve.”
- Rogers voted against multiple campaign finance reforms to minimize corporate influence in politics.
- Rogers did a complete flip flop on electric vehicles and falsely claimed that it would kill jobs.
- Rogers supported privatizing and cutting Social Security.
- Rogers supported the Ryan Plan to essentially end Medicare and called to inject “private sector discipline” into Medicare.
- Rogers was “single-handedly” responsible for blocking a simple minimum wage increase in Michigan.
- Rogers opposed equal pay for women, repeatedly voting against the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
- Rogers supported extending the Trump tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations.
- Rogers supported banning marriage equality and called being LGBTQ+ a “lifestyle choice.”
- Rogers accepted over half a million dollars in dark money to advocate for corporate interests, while refusing to disclose who funded him.
- Rogers supported free trade deals that harmed Michigan workers.
Published: Nov 6, 2024