- Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers announces bid for U.S. Senate
- The Republican joins a field that includes State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder, Michael Hoover and Alexandria Taylor
- Democratic field features U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, actor Hill Harper, Nasser Beydoun, Zack Burns, Leslie Love, Pamela Pugh
LANSING — Nine years after he left elected office, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers is joining a growing field of candidates running to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Rogers, a Republican from Livingston County who represented Michigan’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House through 2014, announced his new Senate campaign Wednesday in an online video.
“I thought I put politics behind me, but like you, I know something is broken,” Rogers said. “America under (President Joe) Biden and his cronies is going in the wrong direction.”
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The former FBI special agent who chaired the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence also bashed China for “stealing intellectual property and jobs” and said he wanted to help “get government out of the way” in Washington D.C.
Rogers, who had been living in Florida until recently, is considered a moderate Republican who could be a strong general election candidate in a race that already includes Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin.
But first, he’ll have to get through a GOP primary in a state that former President Donald Trump is expected to target in his bid to return to the White House.
Rogers in 2016 publicly criticized Trump’s failed efforts to overturn his election loss, accusing the president of “abusing” his office and setting an “exceptionally dangerous precedent” by attempting to influence state officials tasked with certifying the contest.
More recently, Rogers has criticized the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI (his former employer) for prosecuting Trump and his allies, suggesting that “for many Americans, each indictment of President Trump is just further proof that the justice system is rigged.”
To date, six Democrats and four Republicans have filed paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate seat. A fifth Republican — former U.S. Peter Meijer — has formed an exploratory committee as he considers a run.
Candidates can still join — or leave — the race by the spring filing deadline. But here’s who’s in so far:
Democrats
Nasser Beydoun: The Dearborn businessman is a restaurant owner and former chair of the American Arab Chamber of Congress. Beydoun describes himself as a political moderate and civil rights advocate. He is the son of a Lebanese immigrant who found his footing in Michigan as a UAW member, according to Beydoun’s campaign.
Zack Burns: An attorney from Ann Arbor, Burns entered the race in April with a promise to focus on affordable housing, health care, education and training. He holds degrees from the University of Oxford and The University of California, Irvine, according to his campaign.
Hill Harper An actor known for his roles on “The Good Doctor” and “CSI: NY,” Harper is also an attorney, single father, author and coffee shop owner. The son of two doctors, Harper was born in Iowa and moved to Detroit in 2016. He is a graduate of Harvard University. A cancer survivor, Harper in 2012 was appointed to a cancer panel by then-President Barack Obama.
Leslie Love: A former state lawmaker from Detroit, Love served in the Michigan House from 2015 to 2020, where she helped end so-called “driver responsibility fees” that critics had called a double penalty. After Love was forced from the Legislature by term limits, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2021 appointed her to the Natural Resources Commission in 2021, making her the first African American woman to serve on the panel.
Pamela Pugh: A former chief public health officer for Saginaw, Pugh currently serves as president of the Michigan State Board of Education after winning re-election in 2022. With degrees from the University of Michigan and Florida A&M, Pugh describes herself as a scientist, community leader and education advocate.
Elissa Slotkin: The sitting U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 7th District, Slotkin has served in Congress since 2019 and currently lives in Lansing. She previously worked as a Department of Defense official and analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency. Born in New York but raised in Oakland County, Slotkin has degrees from Cornell and Columbia universities.
Republicans
Nikki Snyder, A registered nurse from Dexter, Snyder has served on the Michigan State Board of Education since 2016, when she was the second-highest vote getter in the general election. Snyder describes herself as a “freedom-loving patriot” and wants a Parent’s Bill of Rights to ensure they have a strong role in their children’s education.
Michael Hoover A businessman who previously worked at Dow Chemical, Hoover lives in Laingsburg in Shiawassee County and is a first-time candidate for political office. His focus is on strong families, fiscal responsibility, educational freedom, middle-class prosperity and government accountability, according to his campaign.
Peter Meijer (exploratory):The former Michigan Congressman who served in the U.S. House for one term through 2022, has formed an exploratory committee for a possible Senate run. Meijer voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for instigating the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and he subsequently lost the 2022 GOP primary to Trump-endorsed John Gibbs.
Alexandria Taylor A former Democrat from Romulus, Taylor is an attorney who last year worked on a failed Republican lawsuit that sought to invalidate all mail-in ballots from Detroit. She holds degrees from Michigan State, Eastern Michigan and Detroit Mercy universities, according to her campaign, which says she is focused on “family, faith and freedom.”