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Editor’s Note: Alec Hughes is a former Daily staffer. Hughes did not contribute to the reporting of this article.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, has made two investments totaling $33 million into former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers’ U.S. Senate campaign. These donations come in the wake of fundraising struggles for the Rogers campaign and broader financial troubles within the Michigan Republican Party.
The first donation, a sum of $22.5 million, was announced on Sept. 30 as part of a wider $67.5 million investment from the SLF in several swing states in hopes of flipping the Senate to a Republican majority. These funds were particularly helpful to Rogers’ campaign, which has been significantly outperformed in grassroots fundraising by his opponent, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Business junior Hudson Schantz, vice chairman of the U-M chapter of College Republicans, said he attributed this lack of fundraising to internal conflict within the state party.
“There’s been crazy leadership changes, and they haven’t really had their act together,” Schantz said. “I don’t know how much money they have, but last I heard, they don’t have that much money. So, I think they need some help from the national stage, of course, and that’s where this super PAC comes in.”
In an email to The Daily, LSA senior Alec Hughes, co-chair of College Democrats at the University of Michigan, criticized Rogers for relying on large outside donors instead of earning the support of Michigan residents.
“Mike Rogers is an opportunist, having moved from Florida to Michigan because he believes he can easily take it for himself,” Hughes wrote. “He does not represent the people of Michigan or their values, and his dependence on outside funding to prop up his campaign illustrates that clearly.”
In the Senate, 34 of the 100 seats are up for election this November, with Democrats currently holding 19 of those seats, Republicans holding 11 and independents holding four. Democrats currently have a 49-47 majority in the Senate.
Polls have consistently shown Slotkin leading in the race, though the election is expected to be close.
Internal Republican polling in a leaked SLF memo from Oct. 8 put Rogers’ vote share at 38% to Slotkin’s 46%. According to the memo, his October favorability numbers — which show whether voters have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of a candidate — are also nearly the inverse of Slotkin’s, with 28% favorability and 35% unfavorability in contrast with Slotkin’s respective 37% and 28%. The memo emphasizes the importance of investing in radio and television ads to help Rogers win.
“The climb in Mike Rogers’ unfavorable numbers and his drop on the ballot are a textbook case of what happens when a candidate isn’t on the air to shape his image and deflect attacks,” the memo read. “Still, the tightness of the presidential race and tied generic Senate ballot indicate the environment is ripe for a GOP win.”
The SLF announced on Oct. 15 it will invest an additional $10.5 million into Rogers’ campaign. In a statement to Axios, Steven Law, SLF President and CEO, mentioned some of the motivations behind the SLF donations.
“Michiganders don’t like that Elissa Slotkin has consistently voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ green energy agenda,” the statement read. “These voters are looking for a change from the Democrat status quo.”
Daily News Contributor Glenn Hedin can be reached at heglenn@umich.edu.
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