Republican Mike Rogers Prefers AIPAC Stay Out of Michigan Senate Race

The Story

Republican nominee for Senate in Michigan, Mike Rogers, has reservations about the pro-Israel group AIPAC backing his campaign. Allies of Rogers have reportedly asked AIPAC not to run ads to boost him, fearing the group’s involvement would backfire. Rogers is running against Democratic nominee Dr. Abdul El-Sayed for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat. El-Sayed is a progressive and an outspoken critic of Israel, who narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary. AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, spent over $30 million attempting to defeat El-Sayed in the primary. The PAC currently holds $60 million in cash on hand, according to the latest FEC filings, and seeks to prevent an Israel critic from entering the Senate. Following a conversation between Rogers and AIPAC chair Michael Tuchin, the group shelved an ad it had already produced attacking El-Sayed. AIPAC spokesperson Deryn Sousa stated its members are highly motivated to be involved in this race and we will be looking at every option to make the case that El-Sayed’s policies are bad for Michigan and bad for America. Rogers did not outright reject support from pro-Israel donors; his campaign suggested ways AIPAC could help without prominently featuring its name. The central disagreement is whether the group's direct association with the campaign would aid or hinder Rogers' chances. Recent Michigan elections have shown narrow margins. Trump carried the swing state in 2024 by approximately 80,000 votes. In the Senate race that same year, Democrat Elissa Slotkin defeated Rogers by fewer than 20,000 votes.

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