Republican nominee Mike Rogers has closed the gap in Michigan‘s U.S. Senate race with Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), making it a contest that could potentially shift the balance of power in Congress. Recent statewide polls show Rogers trailing Slotkin by only 4 percentage points, down from 6 points a month ago. If Rogers is successful, he would be the first Republican in three decades to win a Senate seat in Michigan.
With Democrats currently holding a slim one-seat majority in the upper chamber, a GOP victory in Michigan could result in control of the Senate shifting to the Republican Party after four years of Democratic control.
Both candidates are aware that get-out-the-vote efforts will play a crucial role as they enter the final weeks of their campaigns. Mike Rogers, 61, previously represented Michigan’s Eighth Congressional District from 2001 to 2015, while Elissa Slotkin, 48, has been serving as a congresswoman for Michigan since 2018.
Rogers and Slotkin both have extensive backgrounds in government service. Rogers is a former FBI special agent and state senator for Michigan, while Slotkin is an ex-CIA analyst who has worked for various national security agencies.
The open Senate seat they are vying for will be vacated by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) upon her retirement.
According to recent data from the Federal Election Commission, Slotkin has outspent Rogers by four times as much. As of July 17th, she had spent $15.3 million compared to Roger’s $2.9 million campaign expenditure during that period.
Outside groups not affiliated with either candidate have also contributed significantly to this race financially—$42.9 million supporting Slotkin and $40.3 million backing Rogers—according to Open Secrets.
Rogers attributes his narrowing poll numbers not to money but rather his campaign’s extensive voter outreach efforts which made over 2.7 million voter contacts leading up to this point.
Meanwhile, at an October rally held in Flint by Elissa Slotkin urged attendees to engage others about politics before election day and emphasized rebuilding American infrastructure and bringing back supply chains as part of her campaign message.