FORMER REP. MIKE ROGERS JUMPS INTO MICHIGAN’S US SENATE RACE
September 6, 2023
Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan native and former FBI agent who rose to become chairman of the House Intelligence Committee before leaving Congress more than eight years ago, announced Wednesday he is running for the Republican nomination for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat next year.
Rogers’ reentry into politics, which was expected, gives the GOP its first big-name candidate in the campaign to replace U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who announced early this year she would not run for a fifth six-year term. Others could be preparing to follow suit, however. Former U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids Township, last week announced the formation of an exploratory committee and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig is still eyeing a possible run.
On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, of Lansing, is the presumptive front-runner among a list of candidates that includes actor Hill Harper, of Detroit, state Board of Education President Pamela Pugh, of Saginaw, and former state Rep. Leslie Love, of Detroit.
In a video announcement, Rogers said, “I thought I put politics behind me but like you, I know something’s broken. America under (President Joe) Biden and his cronies is going in the wrong direction.” He then goes on to criticize the administration for a “broken border,” inflation and a double standard in law enforcement. “Politics has gotten so small and so petty we’re failing to address big problems,” he continues. “We can do better.”
“No candidate is better prepared to have an impact on day one,” he said. “I’m ready to serve again.”
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