Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers said divisions within the Democratic primary and his campaign’s expanding ground operation are positioning him to win the state in November and potentially block Democrats from gaining control of the U.S. Senate.
“The crazy train has officially arrived here in Michigan,” Rogers, a former congressman and former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said during an exclusive appearance on Breitbart News Saturday.
Rogers discussed the Democratic primary between Rep. Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed, noting Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) have endorsed Stevens, while Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have backed El-Sayed.
Rogers said both candidates support electric-vehicle mandates, higher taxes, and allowing males to compete in women’s sports, arguing that “those core issues that make the Democrats out of touch, they are both right there.”
He told Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle that El-Sayed has “a little bit extra special secret sauce of crazy.”
Rogers described El-Sayed as the “Democratic Socialists of America darling right now” and said his candidacy reflects a broader division between the Democratic Party’s establishment and socialist wings.
“They believe that they can move the state and the country, by the way, to be more accepting of this socialism,” Rogers said.
Asked which Democrat he would prefer to face, Rogers said his campaign is prepared for either candidate and described the party as “fractured like I’ve never seen the Democrat Party fractured here.”
“It’s okay to be crazy, just not that crazy apparently in the Democrat Party,” Rogers said. “So we’re prepared for both.”
Rogers said his campaign recently surpassed one million doors knocked across Michigan and expects to reach approximately 200,000 doors per week by September.
“We are firing up the base in a way that the Washington folks just don’t see,” Rogers said. “But you know what still works? Knocking on a door, talking to somebody, handing them a piece of literature still works.”
The Republican candidate said his campaign is combining door-to-door outreach with digital advertising, mail, and other voter-contact efforts.
“We’re going to beat either one because we’re preparing for either one, and we’re building this massive ground game,” Rogers said. “I’ve never seen this in Michigan before. That’s why we’re going to win.”
Rogers framed the general election as a contrast between the Democratic candidates’ policies and his campaign’s focus on working-class concerns.
“Crazy versus common sense — I think they pick common sense,” Rogers said. “We’re a working-class state in Michigan. Common sense is going to win the day.”
Rogers also criticized Stevens’s congressional voting record, accusing her of supporting EV mandates, tax increases, and policies allowing males to compete in women’s sports.
“She’s wrong on all the critical things here,” Rogers said, arguing that her record would allow Republicans to focus on manufacturing losses, utility costs, and education.
Rogers said his support among autoworkers increased after El-Sayed received the United Auto Workers’ endorsement, which Rogers attributed to El-Sayed’s support for government-run healthcare.
“Once Abdul got the UAW endorsement for the sole purpose of government takeover of healthcare, my phone blew up,” Rogers said. “We had a UAW for Rogers group, and it was good-sized. After that, it has exploded.”
Rogers said UAW members have fought to obtain strong private healthcare benefits and do not want to surrender their existing coverage.
“I’m not giving up my Blue Cross card and let the government run my life in healthcare,” Rogers recalled workers telling his campaign. “I worked too hard for this.”
The candidate, who previously worked on an automobile assembly line, also argued that Biden-era EV policies harmed manufacturers, dealers, and workers by pushing companies to produce vehicles that did not attract sufficient consumer demand.
“They took a bath, and you know who it impacted?” Rogers said. “Workers on the line didn’t get their bonuses. Why? Americans didn’t want to buy them.”
Rogers said consumers should be free to choose electric, hybrid, or gasoline-powered vehicles without federal mandates determining what manufacturers produce.
“You want to buy an electric car? Then good. Go ahead, buy an electric car,” Rogers said. “We shouldn’t mandate it.”
Rogers cited a General Motors plant in Lansing that he said had been preparing to replace production of a gasoline-powered Cadillac with an electric vehicle, potentially resulting in workforce reductions.
Following changes to federal standards under President Donald Trump, Rogers said the plant instead moved forward with production of a gasoline-powered Cadillac.
“Guess what? We’re building a gas-powered Cadillac,” Rogers said. “All those folks are getting their jobs.”
Rogers concluded by arguing that Michigan could determine whether Democrats have a viable path to control of the Senate.
“It’s not if; it’s when we win,” Rogers said. “We have put together a team across the state.”
He said his campaign has remained competitive by focusing on state-specific concerns rather than relying solely on national political trends.
“We’re talking about Michigan issues for Michigan by a lifelong Michigander,” Rogers said. “That is making a big difference.”
Even if Republicans struggled in several other competitive races, Rogers said, winning Michigan could prevent Democrats from reaching the number of seats needed to control the chamber.
“We win Michigan, they just can’t get to 50 votes,” Rogers said. “That’s why this state is so important. That’s why this race is so important.”
LISTEN:
Read the full article here