Former Republican Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers’ campaign is making an early investment in a statewide ground game operation as the two-time candidate continues to consolidate support behind his 2026 Senate bid.
The Rogers campaign announced a statewide leadership team of more than 100 campaign co-chairs in counties across the state Monday, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned. The appointment of campaign ambassadors in regions across Michigan comes as the former congressman is working to fend off a potential primary challenge and is already making a general election play by mobilizing support across the state.
Rogers, who narrowly lost to Democratic Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin by less than 20,000 votes in November, announced his campaign for retiring Michigan Sen. Gary Peters’ seat in April. He is the only well-known candidate in the race thus far and has notable support behind his campaign bid.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee — Senate Republicans’ campaign arm — Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso and a Senate GOP leadership-aligned super PAC are all backing Rogers’ Senate campaign. Additionally, Rogers has hired former Trump 2024 presidential campaign co-manager, Chris LaCivita, to help advise his campaign.
“Our team is stronger than ever and only picking up steam,” Rogers told the DCNF in a statement. “These team leaders will be instrumental in helping us spread our message, activate volunteers, build coalitions and get out the vote in every corner of the state. We couldn’t be more excited to have them on board. It’s time to get to work!”
Rogers told the DCNF in April that he is committed to turning out voters across the state who may have cast a ballot for Trump in November, but didn’t vote for down-ballot candidates. Though the former congressman argues he performed better than other GOP Senate candidates during the 2024 cycle, the president outran Rogers by roughly 100,000 votes.
The establishment of a “first-of-its-kind” volunteer team is an indication of the Rogers’ campaign attention to investing in a robust ground game operation, according to a release obtained by the DCNF.
“We’re not going to find ourselves in that same position,” Rogers previously told the DCNF. “And candidly, people weren’t sure we could win Michigan last go round. And we showed that we can win Michigan.”
Republican Michigan Rep. Bill Huizenga is exploring a run despite significant backing behind Rogers and pressure from national Republican groups and the Trump White House to not jump in the race.
The White House Political Affairs office has urged the congressman to not mount a primary challenge and run for reelection in the House instead, NOTUS first reported.
Rogers trounced Huizenga by roughly 45 points in a hypothetical primary matchup among registered voters, according to a May poll from the Detroit Chamber of Commerce. Rogers also performed more strongly against Democratic candidates in head-to-head matchups than Huizenga, according to the polling.
Rogers, who previously served as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, called on the federal government to investigate suspected Chinese espionage at the University of Michigan, in an interview with the DCNF Tuesday.
“Mike Rogers is all in for Michigan, and we’re proud to be all in for him,” 13th District GOP Chairwoman Alexandria Taylor said in a statement. “It’s time for a Michigan First leader who will fight for the entire Detroit region — from the city to the suburbs — and help rebuild our communities stronger than ever.”
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