Mike Rogers lost his Senate race in 2024 by fewer than 20,000 votes. Now, the Republican is ramping up efforts to pick off portions of historically Democratic coalitions in Michigan — including Jewish voters who draw a hard line on support for Israel.
The dynamics reflect a pressure point for progressive Democrats, who have had to tread carefully while speaking out against Israel as the party contends with growing divisions in a competitive midterm cycle. The Democratic nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, is one of the candidates most vocally critical of Israel running a statewide race this year, and battleground Michigan — which has some of the country’s largest Arab and Muslim populations — is a prime test for whether historically liberal communities will break from Democrats over the foreign policy debate.
This week, Rogers has ramped up his efforts to hone in on that corner of the electorate, including dropping a new ad on Tuesday centering a voter wearing a Star of David necklace who described herself as a “pissed off Democrat.” Furthermore, an open letter from Jewish Democrats started circulating Wednesday, in which signatories ask Jewish Democrats and independents to back Rogers over El-Sayed, who the Republican has called “beyond antisemitic” in the past.