Michigan Senate candidates have similar backgrounds, different agendas

Coming into 2024, Democrats already had an uphill climb in their attempt to keep control of the U.S. Senate.

A climb that got steeper when Michigan U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced she would not be seeking reelection.

Now, Republican Mike Rogers and Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin are vying for the seat. 

Quick facts

Mike Rogers:

• Served in the U.S. Army
• Spent five years as an FBI Agent
• Served in the Michigan Senate for six years 
• Seven-term U.S Congressman, including four years as chair of the House Intelligence Committee

Elissa Slotkin:

• Served three tours in Iraq as an intelligence analyst for the CIA
• Fluent in Arabic and Swahili
• Worked in intelligence for both the Bush and Obama administrations
• Left the Department of Defense in 2017 and has served in the U.S. House since 2019

With their backgrounds in intelligence, both candidates are keeping an eye on Israel’s attacks in Gaza and Lebanon.

“Israel has, again, the right to respond to that.” Slotkin said. “But for me, what I won’t do is I won’t say that the United States should get back into a big land war in the Middle East.”

Rogers says Iran is the main problem. 

“So if we don’t contain Tehran, I’m telling you what, we’ll have more trouble,” Rogers said. “We’ll be more engulfed in the Middle East.”

Something else that’s national security adjacent — Rogers has expressed concern about a battery plant, owned by a Chinese company, being built near Big Rapids. Slotkin doesn’t like it either.

“Not only do I share [the same concerns], I’ve legislated on them. I mean the bill in Congress, a bipartisan bill to ban China from buying our farmland, is my bill,” she said. “The bill in Congress that allows us to ban Chinese companies and also other companies of countries of concern from buying our manufacturing sites. That’s my bill.”

Rogers however goes a bit further accusing Slotkin of working with Chinese officials.

“She signed a non-disclosure agreement to facilitate a Chinese Communist Party company going up near Big Rapids,” Rogers said.

The NDA Slotkin signed was with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. She did so with a few other Democrats and seven Republicans. But the Gotion Plant Rogers is referring to isn’t listed on the agreement.

Rogers maintains he does want to create more opportunities for factory jobs.

“Since my opponent has been elected, we have lost in this state, 29,000 manufacturing jobs. I worked in an assembly plant in Michigan,” Rogers said. “These jobs are critical.”

It should be noted those job losses came during the Trump Administration. The former President has endorsed Rogers for Senate.

Earlier this year, Trump had Congressional Republicans scuttle a bipartisan immigration bill because he wanted to use the issue as a wedge during his Presidential campaign. Rogers says it was a bad bill anyway.

“You can’t make legal two million illegal immigrants every single year. Look at the crime. Look at the problems that it creates. That was not a bill to solve the problem,” Rogers said. “It was a bill to exasperate and make permanent the problem. It was really a disaster of a bill.”

Crime has been going down, and studies show immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than U.S. citizens.

Slotkin says a well-funded system for immigration is good for the economy.

“We need legal, vetted immigration. Our farmers need it. Our folks in Mackinac need it for their hotels and their fudge shops,” Slotkin said. “Until we get our immigration system right, we’re going to have a big problem at the border.”

That’s right in-line with her priorities.

“I focus on policies that are about pro-good jobs and then lowering the cost of things like prescription drugs, health care, you know, post secondary education, child care,” said Slotkin.

Rogers has been campaigning a lot in Detroit. He says Black voters are coming around to the message of the GOP.

“What they’re finding out we’re not bad people,” Rogers said. “We actually have unique solutions for their problems, including literacy, including criminal justice reform, including block grants that actually go to communities versus what’s been happening over the years is going, they pour money into the top of the funnel in these cities, and it doesn’t quite get to the people who need it most.”

Michigan voters put abortion rights into the state constitution two years ago. However, the overturning of the Roe vs. Wade precedent by the U.S. Supreme Court keeps the issue top of mind.

Mike Rogers says it’s a settled issue and claims he wouldn’t vote for a nationwide abortion ban. However, that’s in conflict with his past statements of being against abortion except in instances to save the life of a mother.

Elissa Slotkin supports nationwide reproductive rights.

The general election is taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Five third party candidates will also be on the ballot for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat, including Douglas Marsh (Green Party), Joseph Solis-Mullen (Libertarian), Doug Dern (Natural Law Party), Dave Stein (U.S. Taxpayers Party), and James Frizzell (Independent).

For the latest election information, visit WDET’s Voter Guide at wdet.org/voterguide.