Former representative Mike Rogers (R., Mich.) launched his bid for the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Michigan on Wednesday.
Rogers, a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, is running to take incumbent senator Debbie Stabenow’s (D., Mich.) open seat. Stabenow announced earlier this year she would retire by the end of her fourth term.
Recruited by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Rogers marked his campaign launch with a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
I’m running for the United States Senate to get America back on track.
Join the fight. pic.twitter.com/3RrGooJBJx
— Mike Rogers (@MikeRogersForMI) September 6, 2023
In the announcement, Rogers criticized President Joe Biden and other Democrats for leading America “in the wrong direction,” citing that as his reason for coming out of retirement.
“I thought I put politics behind me but, like you, I know something’s broken,” he said.
Despite being the most prominent Republican so far to announce his run for the Michigan Senate, Rogers likely won’t be alone in the GOP field. Other potential candidates considering entering the race include former representative Peter Meijer (R., Mich.), businessman Sandy Pensler, and vice chair of the New York Stock Exchange John Tuttle.
Nikki Snyder, a member of the Michigan State Board of Education, has also entered the primary, although her name is lesser known.
Rogers and others will face challenges ahead as a Republican hasn’t won a Michigan U.S. Senate seat since 1994, with Democrats largely controlling the state. On the Democratic side, top Democrats have rallied around representative Elissa Slotkin (D., Mich.) for the party nomination. However, television actor Hill Harper is also running as a Democrat.
As seen in the campaign video, it seems Rogers will lean into his Army and FBI background and focus on pertinent issues in the state such as addressing outsourcing of jobs to China while creating new jobs in America.
“We can do better,” Rogers said. “That’s why I’m running for the United States Senate, to get government out of the way, unleash American innovation, and take common sense back to Washington.”