Trump-backed Republican looks to finish the job in 2026…
Former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers is making another run for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, setting up what could be one of the nation’s most closely watched races in 2026.
Rogers, a former House Intelligence Committee chairman, announced his campaign Monday, less than six months after falling tantalizingly short against Democrat Elissa Slotkin in the 2024 Senate race. Slotkin defeated Rogers by just 0.34 percentage points—one of the closest statewide races in Michigan history.
Rogers announced his bid in a flashy campaign video Monday, aligning himself closely with President Donald Trump.
“I’ll stand with President Trump, and we will deliver on the mandate given to him by the American people,” Rogers said, framing his message around “America and Michigan first.”
The New York Times dives deeper into the story of Rogers’ preparations for another high-stakes showdown in 2026:
A statement from Mr. Rogers’s campaign on Monday, warning that Democrats planned to “pour millions of dollars” into the race, said that he would “be an ally” for Mr. Trump and that he would be the “backup” the president needed in the Senate.
Mr. Rogers, 61, is a former F.B.I. special agent and Army officer who served in Congress for 14 years, including four as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He left Congress in 2015 to become a talk-radio host and eventually moved to Florida. His return to Michigan in 2023 failed to appease Democrats, who labeled him a disloyal opportunist in his race against Ms. Slotkin. That tightly fought contest, in which Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Rogers, was one of the last Senate races to be called in 2024.
Mr. Rogers is so far the only Republican to enter the 2026 race, though Representative Bill Huizenga, who has served in Congress since 2011, is expected to run. Other possible contenders include Tudor Dixon, who lost the Michigan governor’s race to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2022, and Kevin Rinke, who lost to Ms. Dixon in that race’s Republican primary.
The lone Democrat to have entered the race, State Senator Mallory McMorrow, announced her candidacy this month. Ms. McMorrow gained national prominence in 2022 when she defended her liberal values in a video while also calling herself a “straight, white, Christian, married suburban mom.” Two other Democrats — Representative Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed, a former health director in Wayne County, Mich. — are eyeing the race.
Several prominent Democrats have already passed on running for the open Senate seat—including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who had been the subject of heavy speculation following Sen. Gary Peters’ decision to retire.
Buttigieg, who moved to Michigan after his 2020 presidential run, fueled some of that speculation after quietly removing pronouns from his social media bio on X earlier this year. However, he ultimately declined to enter the race.
Peters, a two-term Democrat and former congressman, announced in January he would not seek reelection when his term ends in January 2027. In an interview with The Detroit News, Peters said he was ready to step away from public service after nearly two decades in Washington, citing a desire to spend more time with family and make room for a new generation of leaders.
Rogers’ Journey: From Capitol Hill Insider to America First Candidate
Rogers, who represented Michigan in Congress from 2001 to 2015, built his reputation as a national security expert. He spent years in Washington as a consummate insider—a one-time FBI agent turned chair of the powerful House Intelligence Committee. To some MAGA skeptics, his record read like a Cold War-era hawk: staunchly pro-surveillance, aggressive on foreign policy and firmly rooted in the neoconservative wing that once dominated the Republican Party.
However, in today’s GOP—remade in Donald Trump’s image—that kind of résumé comes as a liability.
So how did a national security hawk with deep establishment ties manage to lock down Trump’s seal of approval?
Rogers, who retired from Congress in 10 years ago, reemerged on the political scene last year with a clear mission: win Michigan’s open Senate seat and help Republicans retake the majority. But Rogers knew the political landscape had shifted. His past support for surveillance programs like the Patriot Act and interventionist foreign policy born out of 9/11 was out of step with today’s grassroots conservatives.
So he framed his accomplishments through a Trump-friendly lens—portraying himself as an unapologetic fighter for American strength and security, echoing Trump’s “peace through strength” rhetoric.
Behind the scenes, Rogers also made it clear he wouldn’t join anti-Trump establishment Republicans like Liz Cheney or Adam Kinzinger. He praised Trump’s foreign policy instincts, particularly on China, the border and NATO.
For Trump, the endorsement wasn’t just about ideological purity—it was about winning. Michigan remains one of the most critical battleground states, and Trump bet in 2024 that Rogers was the most electable Republican in the race.
Trump also values loyalty—and Rogers, despite his establishment credentials, didn’t attack Trump during his presidency or after Jan. 6, setting him apart from other Bush-era Republicans.
In a social media post announcing the endorsement, Trump praised Rogers as tough, smart and ready to defend America.
Whether Trump will endorse Rogers again remains to be seen—but Rogers is clearly betting on it.
Either way, Michigan is shaping up to be one of the most competitive Senate races of 2026. Republicans are hungry to flip one of its Senate seats—something they haven’t accomplished in the Wolverine State since 1994.
For Rogers, the roadmap is simple: stay aligned with Trump, court grassroots conservatives and finish what he started.
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