Republican Mike Rogers launched a “Democrats for Rogers” coalition on August 20 in Detroit, bringing together a small group of Democratic voters who say they will back the former congressman over Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s closely watched Senate race.
The coalition’s initial members include Michigan state Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit), Rabbi Asher Lopatin of the Kehillat Etz Chayim congregation in Huntington Woods, and Chelsea Rebeck, described as a mother from West Bloomfield. Rogers, who represented Michigan’s 8th congressional district from 2001 to 2015, called the supporters “courageous” for standing with him despite their party affiliation.
“It is about finding common ground and building a better nation,” Rogers said at the event. “The Democrat voters who feel their nominee doesn’t represent them in their values, all hope is not lost. I’m not asking you to be a Republican. I’m asking you for the opportunity to earn your trust.”
El-Sayed, a physician and former Wayne County health director, won the Democratic primary on August 4 with 48.5 percent of the vote after a contentious race that left fractures in the party’s coalition. His primary opponent, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, had drawn strong support from Black and Jewish voters, and El-Sayed has faced resistance from those blocs over his stances on healthcare and Israel policy.
Rogers is explicitly targeting those disaffected voters. His coalition emphasizes opposition to El-Sayed’s Medicare for All proposal, which would replace private insurance with a universal public program. Whitsett argued that voters would lose their health coverage under such a system, a claim that El-Sayed’s campaign disputes. El-Sayed describes Medicare for All as expanding coverage to include all necessary healthcare costs without premiums, copays, or deductibles, making private duplicate coverage “redundant and unnecessary.”
The Israel-Palestine conflict has also become a dividing line. El-Sayed has been highly critical of U.S. support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza and made AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) a key target during his primary campaign. Lopatin, the rabbi in Rogers’ coalition, cited El-Sayed’s association with activist Hasan Piker, whom he described as an antisemite, as evidence of contempt for the Jewish community. El-Sayed has not publicly disavowed Piker’s statements.
The race remains competitive. A RealClearPolitics average of recent polls shows El-Sayed leading Rogers by 0.7 percentage points, though individual surveys vary widely. A Susquehanna poll from mid-August gave El-Sayed a 7-point lead, while a Fox News poll from early August showed Rogers ahead by 4 points. According to the latest RCP data, El-Sayed averaged 45.7 percent support to Rogers’ 45.0 percent.
Rogers’ coalition announcement marks his latest effort to peel away Democratic voters in a state where he lost a Senate race to now-Senator Elissa Slotkin in 2024 by just 0.3 percentage points. El-Sayed’s campaign responded by attacking Rogers’ alignment with President Trump, whose endorsement Rogers has received. “Mike Rogers will put Donald Trump ahead of Michigan every single time,” said Cole Wozniak, El-Sayed’s campaign spokesperson. “Abdul’s the only candidate with a coalition that can win this November and will get right to work in the US Senate getting money out of politics and putting money in your pockets.”
Recent polling shows the Michigan Senate race remaining tight, with both candidates competing for independent and disaffected voters. Rogers has also sought to distance himself from some Trump positions; he asked AIPAC to stay out of the race, though the group has signaled its intention to spend heavily against El-Sayed in the general election.
Sources
- The Hill — Rogers’ launch of the “Democrats for Rogers” coalition, quotes from Rogers and Whitsett, polling context
- Michigan Advance — detailed coverage of the coalition announcement, member names and affiliations, quotes from Lopatin and Whitsett on healthcare and Israel, El-Sayed’s campaign response
- RealClearPolling — Michigan Senate general election polling averages and individual poll data through August 17
- Fox News — reporting on Rogers’ outreach to Jewish and Black voters, El-Sayed’s Israel stance
- NBC News / Wikipedia — confirmation of El-Sayed’s primary victory margin and date (August 4, 48.5%)
