Capitol News

The Michigan Republican Party held a straw poll at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference over the weekend, but did not include the U.S. Senate race in its polling. This decision follows a recent straw poll by the 9th Congressional District Republican Committee, where Senate candidate Mike Rogers narrowly defeated Genevieve Peters Scott, who is known for her participation in the January 6, 2021 protests at the U.S. Capitol.

Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Joey Hannum commented on Rogers’ standing within his party. “Florida Man Mike Rogers couldn’t win in 2024 even with Trump leading the ticket, and now the Michigan GOP is scrambling to shield him from yet another humiliating rejection by his own party,” Hannum said. “Unfortunately for Rogers, no amount of damage control can hide the fact that he’s running on a deeply unpopular agenda that’s driving up costs and threatens to rip healthcare away from hundreds of thousands of Michiganders.”

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel also addressed Rogers’ candidacy and recent results at both federal and state levels. Hertel referenced the earlier straw poll, noting that Rogers received 52.8% of votes while Peters Scott received 42.4%. Hertel said, “That’s going to make for an awkward family reunion this weekend on Mackinac. Republicans and Democrats alike will have made it clear that they don’t want to send Mike Rogers to D.C., and Michiganders will reject him at the ballot box again in 2026.”

As reported by MIRS (https://www.mirsnews.com/), criticism has come from Democratic leaders as well as some Republicans regarding Rogers’ position in the party following his loss in 2024 and near-loss in recent internal polling.

The U.S. Senate race was excluded from this weekend’s conference straw poll.