Former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers is set to face Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin for Michigan’s open Senate seat after both candidates coasted to victory in their primaries on Tuesday night.
Slotkin, 48, and Rogers, 61, respectively held 75.2% and 69.8% of the vote when the Associated Press called the contests in their favor at 9 pm.
The race is expected to be competitive, though polls show Slotkin — a three-term member of Congress who represents a large chunk of Mid-Michigan including the Detroit exurbs and Lansing — leading by up five points.
Rogers is a familiar face in Michigan and national politics.
He represented the same district Slotkin was first elected to from 2001 to 2015 and leaned into his past experience as an FBI agent.
Rogers supported extending the Patriot Act and passing the proposed Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, legislation meant to enhance the government’s surveillance capabilities.
In 2022, Rogers seemed to break from former President Donald Trump saying it was “time to move on.”
But, in 2024, he managed to secure Trump’s endorsement and rallied alongside the former President.
This propelled him to a win over Justin Amash, a libertarian-leaning former congressman who previously called for Trump’s impeachment.
A day before the primary, Rogers said that the economy would be the biggest issue in his campaign. “Oh, it’s definitely the economy,” said Rogers.
“I think you’ll see us start talking more and more on a grander scale about the cost of groceries, cost of gasoline.”
Earlier this week, however, he hosted a country club fundraiser earlier this week with Riley Gaines and other NCAA athletes who are outspoken about transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
Slotkin easily secured a primary victory over TV actor Hill Harper, who has appeared in the series “The Good Doctor” and touts his relationship with former President Barack Obama.
Harper criticized Slotkin for her support of Israel, as well as for signing an NDA that prohibited her from discussing a Chinese battery plant in Michigan.
Slotkin has made abortion access a major issue throughout her campaign, appearing at several events to present herself as the one to prevent a federal ban on abortions nationwide.
With the primary results in, Rogers and Slotkin have fewer 90 days until the election to make their pitch to Michigan voters, who have not elected a Republican senator since 1994.
