Mike Rogers (Michigan politician)

Michigan's open Senate race between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul el Sayed, vying to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters, has become a focal point in the fight for Senate control. Rogers is running a well-funded, high-intensity campaign—over $133 million in advertising and millions of door knocks—marking the most serious GOP statewide operation since 2014. Michigan hasn't elected a Republican senator since 1994, but polling shows a competitive race amid broader uncertainty about midterm turnout and Democratic advantages nationally.

If Republicans lose seats elsewhere, Michigan could determine whether the GOP retains a narrow Senate majority via the vice president's tiebreaking vote, making it one of the cycle's most consequential contests.

Michigan's third-grade reading proficiency has fallen sharply over the past decade, prompting U.S. Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed (D) and Mike Rogers (R) to outline differing federal responses. El-Sayed calls for a federal right to literacy, backed by increased education funding, full IDEA funding for special education, and tying defense spending increases to education spending. Rogers proposes directing existing Title I funds toward phonics-based reading intervention for struggling students and opposes promoting students to fourth grade without grade-level reading skills.

Since education policy is largely controlled at the state and local level, a senator's influence would come through federal funding and priorities rather than direct control over curricula.

A new Detroit News/WDIV poll of likely Michigan voters finds President Trump's job approval largely unchanged since late summer, with about 59% disapproving versus 39% approving—among the weakest pre-midterm numbers for a president in recent history, comparable to George W. Bush in 2006. Disapproval is even steeper on Trump's handling of the Iran War and U.S.-Canada relations. Pollster Richard Czuba says Trump's approval has become the central dividing line in Michigan's 2026 races, including the competitive U.S. Senate contest between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, where Rogers currently trails. Analysts say the dynamic echoes the 2022 midterms, when abortion politics drove Democratic wins statewide.

Michigan voters head to the polls Nov. 3, with early voting running through Nov. 1. Top of the ballot: an open U.S. Senate seat pitting Democrat Abdul El-Sayed against Republican Mike Rogers, and a governor's race to succeed term-limited Gretchen Whitmer, featuring Democrat Jocelyn Benson against Republican John James. Down-ballot contests include attorney general (Eli Savit vs. Doug Lloyd) and secretary of state (Garlin Gilchrist II vs. Anthony Forlini), plus two statewide proposals — one on calling a constitutional convention, another limiting corporate political contributions.

Detroit voters also pick five school board members, and Wayne and Oakland counties weigh a museum funding millage.

President Trump is set to hold a rally Sunday in Port Huron, Michigan, ahead of the Nov. 3 election, with Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers' attendance uncertain. The visit comes as Rogers faces Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in a closely watched race that could decide Senate control, a rematch dynamic after Rogers' narrow 2024 loss to Sen. Elissa Slotkin. Political scientists say the rally could mobilize GOP turnout but also hand Democrats material tying Republicans to an unpopular president. A day earlier, Barack Obama rallies in Detroit alongside El-Sayed and gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson, who faces Republican Rep. John James. Republican ads have largely avoided mentioning Trump, while Democratic ads increasingly invoke him.

A debate between Michigan U.S. Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed (D) and Mike Rogers (R) turned contentious as the two clashed over Iran policy and national security. El-Sayed blamed Rogers and President Trump for abandoning the JCPOA and pursuing military action he said drove up gas and grocery prices, while accusing Rogers of being backed by AIPAC-linked donors. Rogers countered that Iran remains a major threat tied to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and alleged El-Sayed has links to the Muslim Brotherhood and failed to condemn the IRGC. El-Sayed called the accusations beneath the discourse; Rogers accused him of playing victim. Trump is set to campaign for Rogers in Michigan this weekend.

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has repeated his assertion that Israel is "not actually our friend," making the case in interviews with ABC News and MS NOW ahead of his final debate against Republican Mike Rogers. El-Sayed argues Israel has lobbied the U.S. into conflicts, including pushing for action against Iran, and accused the Israeli military of war crimes. He has also faced criticism for deflecting questions about alleged family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and past appearances with controversial streamer Hasan Piker. At the debate in Detroit, El-Sayed also opposed the SAVE America Act's voter ID and citizenship-proof requirements, calling them voter suppression, while Rogers defended the measure as reasonable. The race remains competitive ahead of the Nov. 3 election.