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Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers opened the door to Michigan Democrats on Friday after far-left progressive Abdul El-Sayed’s primary victory, assuring them “there is still hope” and they have a “home” with his campaign.
“If you’re among the majority of Democratic voters that woke up on Wednesday feeling, well, hopeless, because the person who won does not represent your values, well, just know, there is still hope,” Rogers said in a video posted on X Friday.
“Michigan deserves a senator who is ready to sit with you, hear from you, and represent you.”
El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., in one of the nation’s most closely watched Democratic primaries, setting up a November showdown with Rogers, who ran uncontested.
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Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers is making a direct pitch to Michigan Democrats following Abdul El-Sayed’s primary victory. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images ; JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP via Getty Images)
Rogers addressed Democratic voters directly, casting his campaign as a home for those who feel their values are not reflected in El-Sayed’s candidacy as he tries to court the hundreds of thousands of Democrats who voted for Stevens but may not feel comfortable voting for El-Sayed.
“The parents across Michigan who want an education system that sets up their kids for success, you have a home with us,” he said. “To grandparents across Michigan who are heartbroken from watching their kids and grandkids leave the state, you have a home with us. To young people who are looking for real solutions to solve our housing affordability crisis, you have a home with us. To working families who don’t want higher taxes and lower paychecks, well, you have a home with us.”
Rogers also accused El-Sayed’s campaign of promoting “anger, divisiveness, calls for violence” and views he said are out of step with Michigan voters.
“And to the vast majority of people across Michigan who do not want to throw their support behind a campaign filled with anger, divisiveness, calls for violence, and the views that are out of touch with your values, well, you have a home with us,” he said.
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Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed speaks to supporters at an election-night rally at the Majestic Theatre on Aug. 4, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
If Rogers wins in November, Republicans would flip the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters and help protect their control of the Senate.
“Over the next 90 days, I’m going to work hard to earn your trust, to earn your support, and earn your vote,” Rogers said. “We have a state to save, Michigan. Let’s get to work.”
Rogers’ outreach to Democrats was praised by some conservatives and pundits on social media.
In a post on X, former DSA member Jake Altman wrote, “I voted for Biden. I voted for Harris. I will vote for Mike Rogers. I just donated to the campaign. This is not a time to sit on your hands. Stand up for the man who fights terrorists, not the one who sympathizes with them.”
“Mike Rogers directly asks for Democrats to support him in Michigan. The majority of Michigan Democrats voted against Abdul El-Sayed. This is well done,” OutKick founder Clay Travis posted on X.
In another post on X, Democrats For Mike Rogers wrote, “Mike Rogers is meeting the moment. We’re putting country over party and voting for Mike Rogers in November. It’s never been more important. We must unite and defeat the extremism of Abdul El-Sayed and his allies.”
El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and former Wayne County health director who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2018, has campaigned on Medicare-for-all and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He has also been a vocal critic of Israel during its war with Hamas and has called Israel’s actions in Gaza “genocide.”
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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers waits to go onstage at his election watch party with the MIGOP on Nov. 5, 2024, in Novi, Michigan. Rogers and Democrat Elissa Slotkin are competing for the seat vacated by the retiring Debbie Stabenow. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
He would become the nation’s first Muslim senator if elected.
As some Democrats grapple with the direction of their party following El-Sayed’s nomination, Rogers said the “fight is far greater than just left versus right.”
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“The fight is for the very soul of our nation,” he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to El Sayed’s campaign for comment.