Grand Rapids, Michigan – Mike Rogers said a “weak and porous southern border” is fostering crime in his state.
Rogers, a former FBI special agent who later served as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee while in Congress and is currently running for the Republican Senate nomination in battleground Michigan, told Fox News Digital that his campaign’s biggest He said the issues at issue were crime and borders. , security, and the “economy in the tank.”
Rogers, the clear front-runner in August’s Republican Senate primary, could face Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin in the race to succeed Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who is not seeking re-election this year. Highly sexual.
The seat is one of a handful of seats Republicans aim to flip from blue to red in November as they seek to regain the Senate majority they lost in the 2020 cycle.
Trump targets president over ‘Biden border bloodshed’ during standstill in critical battleground state
Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (second from right), a Republican candidate for the Michigan Senate, stands with former President Donald Trump with law enforcement officials at a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, April 2, 2024. stand behind. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Mr. Rogers participated in roundtable discussions with other Republican leaders and law enforcement officials, and stood behind him at subsequent campaign events, as potential Republican presidential candidates spoke to President Biden on crime and America’s crisis. told Fox News Digital minutes ago. border between America and Mexico.
“The murder of Ruby Garcia happened right here in Kent County. It’s a horrific murder. There’s been a criminal cartel operating in Oakland and Wayne County in the southeastern part of the state for several months now. They’re very organized. “And they’re doing a lot of damage, and it’s all because of our weak and porous southern border,” Rogers charged.
Trump’s dual strategy for balancing court appearances and campaigning
President Trump’s visit followed the March 22 killing of Garcia, a 25-year-old woman who was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant who was deported to Mexico in 2020 but returned to the United States. Upon Garcia’s death, her body was found with her body. Grand Rapids Roads – Dominates local conservative talk radio and social media.
Police said Garcia was in a relationship with the suspect, Brandon Ortiz Vito, who told authorities he shot Garcia multiple times.
Brandon Ortiz Vito, who is currently being held at the Kent County Jail in Grand Rapids, is facing murder and other charges after the body of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia was found and identified on Route 131 in downtown Grand Rapids. has been charged with a crime. Investigator. (Mavi Garcia, Kent County Jail)
“We’ve been hurt for the past three years by the Biden administration and the Democrats,” Rogers said minutes later, referring to a roundtable with law enforcement leaders who supported President Trump. This is an opportunity to discuss changes.” Help us protect our communities here in Michigan. ”
Mr. Rogers retired from politics in 2016, when Mr. Trump won the White House.
Rogers hooked on early state-stopping run at the White House in 2024
He will return to the campaign trail in late 2022 or early 2023, embarking on the long-running race for the Republican presidential nomination, and will visit the four early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. We road tested the message. Republican nomination contest. And part of his message was that Trump’s time leading the party is over.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan speaks during a roundtable discussion hosted by the New Hampshire Republican Women’s Federation on April 4, 2023 in Manchester, New Hampshire. (Fox News)
But Mr. Rogers ultimately decided against running for the White House and, after returning to Michigan from Florida last fall, began a Senate campaign at the urging of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
He endorsed Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in January, and Trump followed suit a month ago. The former president gave further encouragement to Mr. Rogers in comments to the crowd in Michigan.
This former FBI agent is running for Senate
“Donald Trump is the right person to solve this country’s big problems at the right time,” Rogers said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
As Rogers considers a presidential bid, he explicitly rejected Trump’s repeated and unproven claims that he blamed a “rigged” election for his 2020 election loss to President Biden. .
Asked how he combined his past criticism with his current support for Trump, Rogers said, “Politics is like a family fight. There are family fights, there are disagreements. You wake up the next day. So, dust yourself off and move wisely.” We are acting wisely to win in November. ”
Former Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers speaks on FOX New Digital in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 2, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
In addition to Trump’s endorsement, former Detroit Police Chief James Craig withdrew his Senate bid a month ago and then endorsed Rogers, increasing Rogers’ chances of being selected as the Republican nominee.
Republican Senate seats remain crowded. Other candidates include former U.S. Reps. Peter Meyer and Justin Amash, two of Trump’s fiercest critics, and Sandy Pensler, an entrepreneur and self-funded candidate. .
Even with Trump’s endorsement, Rogers said, “We’re used to winning by 1,000 points every day, and that’s what we do…We don’t take anything for granted. We don’t take anything for granted. “We are still trying to rebuild the party,” he said. This is to ensure that all factions of the party have the infrastructure to defeat the Democratic machine in November. ”
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But Maeve Coyle, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, said in a statement to Fox News that “Republicans have been embroiled in a radioactive and expensive primary that leaves the final candidate seriously damaged.” “I will receive it,” he said.
“Every day brings new and damaging revelations about the revolving-door candidate of the national Republican Party, Mr. Rogers, including his support for a national abortion ban and his ties to Chinese companies,” Coyle said. “How he made his fortune in the United States and left Michigan to live in Florida with a million dollar salary.” It was the first chance he got at the mansion. ”
On the combustible issue of abortion, Rogers admitted, “I’m a pro-life person and always have been.”
More than a decade ago, in Congress, Mr. Rogers voted in favor of enacting federal abortion regulations. Now he opposes such a move.
And pointing to Michigan’s 2022 referendum that would codify reproductive rights, including access to abortion, into the state constitution, Rogers said, “Abortion is legal here in Michigan. I am revoking my beliefs. I’m not going back to Washington, D.C., for the sake of it.” This decision was made correctly… [state] Constitution. Protected. It’s legal. I’m not going to go back and change that at the federal level. ”
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