Rogers Campaigns At Rep. Whitsett's Mother-In-Law's House, Shows Off Pro-Rogers Dems

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 08/20/2026) (DETROIT) – Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Rogers hosted a “Democrats for Rogers” press conference at the house of Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit)'s mother-in-law. Whitsett won four terms in the Legislature as a Democratic candidate, but says she now doesn't identify with either party.

"I am very happy to stand here on my block, and this is actually my mother-in-law's home, and I actually live a few doors down," Whitsett said alongside Rogers, welcoming reporters to her neighborhood on Detroit's west side. "This means a lot to me to be able to have Mike come to this neighborhood, and I think he can pick up where Mike Duggan left off."

She compared Rogers to Duggan, the former Detroit mayor who tried running for governor as an independent. Duggan is regularly linked to Detroit's revitalization strides and economic development programs, coming into the office months after the city declared bankruptcy.

"I am very confident that he won't leave us behind," Whitsett said.

Democrats have often criticized Whitsett for working with Republicans in the state Capitol. At the end of 2024, during the final moments of Democrats' control of the House, Whitsett left town early in protest of leadership not touching on certain policy issues, like setting a new funding stream for public safety and violence prevention.

She also has been absent from the chamber, returning for the first time since August of last year on May 20 to support House Republicans' property tax reform bills.

While Whitsett was promoting Rogers, Denzel McCampbell was campaigning for Rogers' general election opponent, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, Wednesday in Downtown Detroit. McCampbell last fall defeated Whitsett in a Detroit City Council race for the city's 7th district.

Whitsett said people need to pick candidates for their issues, with hers being health insurance and opposition against El-Sayed's "Medicare for All" proposal, which would dramatically expand the government's role in health coverage. His campaign says workers could retain supplemental private insurance offered through unions or employers.

Mike Rogers campaigns on Detroit's west side. Photo by MIRS.

"I do not want to lose my Blue Cross Blue Shield. My husband is an operating engineer, and I want my health insurance. I do not think people really realize what is on the line. You will lose your health insurance if the other candidate gets in office," Whitsett said.

Mike Rogers campaigns on Detroit's west side. Photo by MIRS. 

She said if folks enjoy waiting six hours to get into the emergency room, then "get ready to enjoy that a whole lot longer because you may be sitting there for six weeks" if El-Sayed wins and is able to push for such a policy.

Chelsea Rebeck, a West Bloomfield mother who said she heavily supported U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham)' in the Democratic primary, described herself as "a lifelong Democrat voting for Mike." She said she has supported Democrats including past Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly).

"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," Rebeck said. "The Democratic nominee that we've been given does not share my values, and he does not agree with the world that I want my children to grow up in. I am not a socialist. I'm not a communist."

El-Sayed has described himself as a capitalist, although he supports Medicare for All and other progressive policies and has received significant support from the party's left, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Rep. Karen Whitsett, who ran in her district as a Democrat, campaigns for Rogers. Photo by MIRS.

Orthodox Rabbi Asher Lopatin serves a congregation of Oak Park and Huntington Woods residents, and said he usually votes for Democrats. However, he doesn't like El-Sayed's relationship with Hasan Piker, the controversial Twitch streamer who spoke out against American ties to Israel.

Rep. Karen Whitsett, who ran in her district as a Democrat, campaigns for Rogers. Photo by MIRS. 

The Anti-Defamation League has criticized Piker for a series of comments it describes as anti-Semitic, including referring to Orthodox Jews as “inbred” and saying he would choose Hamas over Israel “every single time.” Piker later apologized for the “inbred” remark.

Lopatin said that El-Sayed has never disavowed Piker's anti-Semitism while using him to connect with voters.

"When Abdul El-Sayed was asked about the terrorist who attempted to blow up a synagogue right here in Michigan with hundreds of children…he said 'Hurt people do hurt people,'" Lopatin said.

He said he understands the Democratic Party wanting to support the nominee, but he said to not talk about concerns surrounding Piker and other comments made by El-Sayed "is very disappointing."

As for the issues, Rogers talked about wanting to focus on literacy, as not being able to read at a fourth-grade level can result in "a 70% chance of going on welfare or being in prison." He additionally talked about his housing plan.

"We're in the city of Detroit. They have 122,000 vacant lots. I've got the only plan to put those in a land bank," Rogers said. "We're going to work on people's ability to hit that 20% down payment by saving tax-free. We're actually talking about things that matter."

He wants renters to be able to build up their credit scores through on-time rent payments, as well.

"Do they want another somebody to go back to Washington and stab each other in the eye all day long? It doesn't help people who can't read in the fourth grade, it doesn't do anything for somebody trying to buy a home," he said. "It doesn't do anything for the next manufacturing opportunity for high wages. So that's what we focused on, and that's why I think we've been able to bring these folks together."