GOP hopeful predicts Dems’ lefty ‘crazy train’ will turn Michigan Senate seat red
Progressive policy ambitions meet practical realities as Americans weigh costs and consequences.
Mike Rogers lost by 20,000 votes last time. That's a rounding error in a state Trump carried. So when he says the Democratic bench in Michigan is drifting toward AOC's lane, it's worth asking what he's actually pointing at, because the answer isn't hypothetical.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who is making another bid for a Michigan Senate seat he narrowly lost in 2024 by 20,000 votes, said squad member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is pulling Democrats so far to the left that Republicans have a prime opportunity to flip the seat in November.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
Mike Rogers lost by 20,000 votes last time. That's a rounding error in a state Trump carried. So when he says the Democratic bench in Michigan is drifting toward AOC's lane, it's worth asking what he's actually pointing at, because the answer isn't hypothetical. Michigan Democrats have spent the last cycle chasing primary voters who show up for climate mandates and defund-adjacent policing talk, and that's a different electorate than the union guys in Macomb County who actually decide these races.
The interesting part is that Rogers isn't wrong about the mechanics. AOC doesn't need to win Michigan to shape it. She sets the temperature for what counts as an acceptable Democratic position nationally, and candidates in swing states either distance themselves loudly or get tagged with it by default. Watch how the eventual nominee handles questions on energy jobs and border enforcement. If they hedge instead of breaking clean, Rogers has his opening handed to him.
None of this guarantees a Rogers win. He's proven he can lose a winnable race, and Michigan voters have shown they'll split tickets when a candidate feels off. But the underlying read is sound: a state built on auto plants and skilled trades doesn't reward the coastal-progressive vocabulary, no matter how online it polls. If Democrats let the loudest voice in the caucus set the terms of the debate, they're doing Rogers' campaign work for him.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.