(Source: MIRS.news, Published 03/02/2023) Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers was probed and prodded on this week’s Off The Record recording about his future political ambitions and while he didn't make anything official, a few things became clear.
First, his immediate focus is sharing his message of collaborative problem-solving in the early presidential primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
He's making 60 stops over the next 90 days to talk about a project he and his wife, Kristi Rogers, started called Leadership to Ensure the American Dream (LEAD), an initiative to "reignite optimism in the American Dream."
Along the way, he'd like to change the focus of public dialogue from partisan back-biting over social media to policy-focused conversations about the ballooning national debt, Social Security, Medicaid and Chinese relations.
As to whether this will segue into a presidential run, Rogers would only go as far as describing being in the "exploring the exploratory" stage. He did say the nation needs to move on from former President Donald Trump and whether he gets in will not be determined by who is or is not in the Republican field.
Asked specifically about a U.S. Senate run in Michigan, Rogers said in politics "you never say never," but he wasn't particularly optimistic either. The former U.S. Representative estimated a successful U.S. Senate run in Michigan to be at least $25 million and raising that type of money would fall primarily on the individual Republican candidate, as opposed to counting on substantial state party support after the primary.
He described the Michigan Republican Party apparatus as "dysfunctional" and that putting together a statewide run in the current atmosphere "isn't impossible, but it's very difficult."
"There's nothing to plug into," he told reporters after the Off the Record recording. "You're basically starting from scratch."
Asked specifically if he believes U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) is representing well what is roughly his old seat in Congress, Rogers said he hasn't followed her work, but surmises she's doing well if voters continue to elect her.
Slotkin is now the presumed frontrunner to succeed U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing), who is retiring after 2024. The former Rep was asked if he would consider running for the U.S. Senate if Stabenow planned on running for re-election. Rogers said he's not sure he'll seriously consider running for the U.S. Senate in 2024, regardless of whether Stabenow is running.
Mike Rogers is no longer a Michigan resident, although he said he and Kristi are looking at property in Michigan. He voted out of Florida in 2022 and wasn't completely up to speed on Michigan issues such as Proposal 3, which put abortion rights into the state constitution.
However, he did know what a "hot meat sundae" was, having been to the Iowa State Fair. It's a shredded beef and mashed potatoes concoction, by the way.
"They even put a cherry tomato on top," Rogers said.
Outside of being a guest on Off The Record, Rogers was a featured guest at a Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce event this week.
