Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers is openly courting Democrats turned off by progressive rival Abdul El-Sayed, and some lifelong Democratic voters say they are crossing party lines for the first time in their lives.
Rogers unveiled a formal "Democrats for Mike Rogers" coalition on Thursday at a private residence in a western Detroit neighborhood, standing alongside a group of voters who say El-Sayed's far-left policy positions and controversial rhetoric have made it impossible to support their own party's nominee. The former congressman and FBI agent framed the pitch not as a partisan conversion but as a practical alliance, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that the door is open to anyone who feels abandoned by the Democratic ticket.
The coalition rollout comes as two separate polls show the Michigan Senate race locked in a dead heat. A Fox News survey conducted August 6, 10 gave Rogers a slight four-point edge, while an AARP poll placed the two candidates within the margin of error. With control of the Senate potentially hinging on a handful of seats, the race has become one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterms.
Among those standing with Rogers was Chelsea, a voter from West Bloomfield, Michigan, who said she has supported Democratic candidates her entire adult life, until now.
"I'm a lifelong Democrat. I voted for Obama. I voted for Hillary. I voted for Biden. I voted for Slotkin. I heavily supported Haley Stevens throughout her race and now I'm voting for Mike Rogers because sometimes the election calls for us to look at something bigger than our party lines."
Chelsea added that El-Sayed "does not share my values and he does not agree with a world that I want my children to grow up in." She did not elaborate on which specific positions troubled her most, but the broader event made the grievances clear: El-Sayed has called for abolishing ICE, championed Medicare-for-all, characterized Israel's military actions in Gaza as "genocide" against Palestinians, and sharply criticized AIPAC, the influential pro-Israel political group.
Rogers told Fox News Digital he sees a genuine opening among voters who never imagined pulling the lever for a Republican.
"To Democrat voters who feel their nominee doesn't represent them and their values, all hope is not lost. I'm not asking you to be a Republican. I'm asking you for the opportunity to earn your trust... our door is open."
He described the defectors at the event as people "who have never voted for a Republican in their life" and said their willingness to cross over shows that "values do matter in this election." That kind of crossover appeal could prove decisive. El-Sayed's support among Democrats in the Fox News poll sat at 91 percent, solid, but notably lower than the 96 percent of Republicans backing Rogers. The gap widened further when the poll isolated non-DSA Democrats and independents: only 69 percent of that group backed El-Sayed, compared to 98 percent of self-described Democratic Socialists of America supporters.
Those numbers point to a candidate whose base is energized on the progressive flank but softer in the middle, exactly the terrain Rogers is trying to exploit. El-Sayed defeated the establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens in a narrow primary fight, running as an insurgent with endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. That progressive pedigree helped him win the nomination. Whether it can hold together a general-election coalition in a battleground state is a different question.
Rabbi Asher Lopatin of Huntington Woods, Michigan, joined Rogers at the event and offered a blunt assessment of why he is breaking with his usual voting pattern. Lopatin acknowledged disagreements with President Trump's administration and concerns about the Supreme Court but said keeping El-Sayed out of the Senate takes priority.
"I do have a lot of issues with a lot of policies of the Trump administration. I do have concerns about the Supreme Court. But it's more important to make a statement that we cannot let someone like Abdul El-Sayed get into the Senate."
Lopatin said he is not alone. Jewish voters who "normally vote Democrat are going to vote for Mike Rogers," he told Fox News Digital, describing a "growing movement" among people who feel increasingly comfortable supporting a Republican, "sometimes the first time in their lives."
The rabbi pointed to the state Democratic Party convention in April as a turning point. Haley Stevens, a strong Israel supporter, was booed at the event, and Lopatin described an atmosphere hostile to anyone who openly backed Israel. Newsmax reported that Lopatin also cited El-Sayed's association with online personality Hasan Piker, whom the rabbi described as an alleged antisemite, and El-Sayed's own remarks about Jewish people as factors in his decision.
Lopatin did not hold back about the convention fallout:
"Many people I talked to, many super progressive people, are really traumatized by the way they were treated, and the way Haley Stevens was booed, and the way other candidates were treated. It's a violent, uncivil kind of setup for politics, and that's the biggest danger: taking away civility from politics."
Rogers echoed the concern about Jewish voters on campus, saying he had spoken with two young women at the University of Michigan "who were afraid to walk to class" and could not display their Star of David. "To say that they're afraid is probably an understatement," he said.
El-Sayed's campaign did not address the specific defections or the policy criticisms raised at Rogers' event. Instead, spokesperson Cole Wozniak pivoted to a familiar line of attack, tying Rogers to President Trump.
"Mike Rogers will put Donald Trump ahead of Michigan every single time. Just like he carried water for Trump's dangerous election lies, he'll rubber-stamp Trump's reckless agenda, driving up gas prices and sending your tax dollars to fight foreign wars."
Wozniak added that El-Sayed is "the only candidate with a coalition that can win this November" and pledged the Democrat would focus on "getting money out of politics and putting money in your pockets." The response notably avoided the issues driving the crossover voters, Israel, antisemitism, ICE abolition, and Medicare-for-all, and instead tried to make the race a referendum on the president.
That framing may work with the progressive base, but it sidesteps the problem Rogers is highlighting: El-Sayed's own record and rhetoric. The former Wayne County Health Department director and epidemiologist ran an unsuccessful insurgent campaign for governor in 2018 before mounting his Senate bid. His sharp criticism of Israel and AIPAC was a central part of his primary campaign, and his call to abolish ICE placed him well to the left of the median Michigan voter.
After winning the nomination roughly two weeks before the Rogers event, El-Sayed sought to moderate his tone on one of the most sensitive issues, stating: "My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own kids. We have a responsibility to take on antisemitism in all of its forms, wherever we see it." For voters like Chelsea and Rabbi Lopatin, the reassurance came too late, or rang hollow against the primary-season record.
The crossover movement extends beyond private citizens. Michigan state Rep. Karen Whitsett, a conservative Democrat, publicly endorsed Rogers, warning that El-Sayed's Medicare-for-all plan would eliminate private health insurance. "I do not think people really realize what is on the line," Whitsett said. An elected Democrat endorsing the Republican nominee is a striking breach of party discipline, and it underscores the breadth of the discomfort El-Sayed has generated within his own coalition.
Rogers is running for the seat a second consecutive time after losing by a slim margin two years ago. He framed Thursday's event as evidence that the political landscape has shifted in his favor. "We definitely think it's an opening," he said. "This is going to be a tight race. It's Michigan. We're going to take advantage of the fact that people are pausing to think if he represents their values."
The internal fractures El-Sayed's nomination has exposed are not unique to Michigan. Sen. John Fetterman has warned that El-Sayed's candidacy could hand Republicans a critical seat, reflecting broader anxiety among Democrats who worry the party's progressive wing is nominating candidates too far left to win general elections in swing states.
That anxiety tracks with a pattern visible across the national party. Hillary Clinton has conceded that Republican messaging labeling Democrats as too radical is landing with voters, and warned that the party is not ready to counter it. When lifelong Democrats in suburban Detroit are standing at a Republican's campaign event saying they cannot support their own nominee, the warning looks less like speculation and more like a diagnosis.
If El-Sayed loses Michigan, Democrats will not be able to blame the voters who told them, plainly and publicly, exactly why they walked away. The question is whether anyone in the party was listening before it was too late.
