GOP Senate Nominee Mike Rogers Kicks Off Race Against El-Sayed With a Big Swing
Michigan Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers drew a bright line between himself and Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Wednesday, saying the socialist stands for “insanity.”
Rogers described his rival in a statement as not just another liberal, but as an “extremist.”
“Abdul doesn’t represent a vision for the future. He’s leading a movement grounded in ideological fanaticism. His agenda would make our communities less safe and our state less affordable,” the Republican candidate said.
“I spent years hunting terrorists and bringing Osama bin Laden to justice. Never in a million years did I think that I would be running against someone who believes America deserved 9/11,” Rogers added.
The former member of Congress is a U.S. Army veteran, FBI special agent, and past chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
I spent my life hunting terrorists. I never in a million years thought I’d hear the words, “America deserved 9/11,” but here we are.
Michigan — we’ve got a state to save. pic.twitter.com/ZwRx3AnWFA
— Mike Rogers (@MikeRogersForMI) August 5, 2026
Rogers said that El-Sayed “wants to empty prisons and put murderers and sex offenders back on our streets.”
“He pledged his support to the Muslim Brotherhood and campaigns with people who refuse to condemn terrorism.”
My statement on Michigan’s Democrat Nominee for U.S. Senate: pic.twitter.com/LJ4pohiVA9
— Mike Rogers (@MikeRogersForMI) August 5, 2026
El-Sayed, whose family immigrated from Egypt in the late 1970s, campaigned Monday with leftist influencer Hasan Piker, who claimed America deserved 9/11, the New York Post reported.
According to his website, some of El-Sayed’s policy priorities include opposing voter ID laws like the SAVE America Act, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, passing Medicare for All, increasing taxes on those earning over $1 million, and hiking the inheritance tax for estates valued at $1 million or more.
Further, the socialist says on his site, “I understand that the Supreme Court itself has become a major impediment to democracy. The Roberts court has moved to limit voting rights, civil rights, and reproductive rights while expanding Trump’s power.”
“I support Supreme Court reform, including ending the life-time appointments, imposing limited terms, and allowing the same number of appointments for each presidential term.”
In other words, he is looking for ways to change the current ideological makeup of the Supreme Court, clearly to be more amenable to the leftist policies he supports.
Regarding foreign policy, El-Sayed writes, “Right now, our tax dollars and American-made weapons are being used to perpetrate a genocide in Gaza, illegal settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and the attempted annexation of Southern Lebanon.”
“I support an immediate arms embargo on Israel and reject the false differentiation between ‘offensive’ and ‘defensive’ weapons.”
When pressed multiple times by CNN’s Kasie Hunt last month, El-Sayed refused to answer whether Israel should even be a country.
“I’m not going to play this gotcha game whether it has a right to exist,” he said.
Does Israel have a right to exist?
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed: “Nobody ever asks whether Palestine has a right to exist. Israel exists. A better question is: Does Israel have a right to our tax dollars?” pic.twitter.com/J1GwIwzewk
— 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐦 (@Malcolm_Pal9) August 4, 2026
El-Sayed added, “The question about whether Israel has a right to exist is actually quite secondary to whether or not they have a right to our tax dollars.”
On Wednesday, President Trump argued El-Sayed’s narrow victory in the Democratic primary bodes well for a Rogers win in November.
“Great news for the Republican Party. El-Sayed, a Communist loser who hates Jews and Israel, is the projected winner in his race with the Socialist. As usual, the Polls were way off on this one,” he posted on Truth Social.
BREAKING: Trump declares Abdul El-Sayed Michigan Senate primary win ‘great news’ for Republicans pic.twitter.com/OrlfYzBWks
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 5, 2026
Trump added in another post, “The Radical Left Socialist has a real shot, and don’t discount all of those fake mail-in ballots that will ‘surprisingly’ show up at the last moment. Get ready for another Rigged Election. In November we must VOTE FOR MIKE ROGERS, and make Michigan TOO BIG TO RIG.”
The most recent poll has Rogers with a 3 percentage point lead, while another survey has the contest tied.
However, as Trump noted, polling in the Democratic primary race showed El-Sayed up double digits, and he only won by a percentage point over Rep. Haley Stevens.
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