Rogers Says El-Sayed Faces Trouble With Black Voters, Jews

Michigan’s Senate fight is tightening fast, and Republicans are leaning into a simple message: Abdul El-Sayed is not locking down the coalition Democrats usually count on. Mike Rogers used a Fox News town hall to argue that support from Black pastors, Jewish Democrats, and other core constituencies could soften just enough to swing a race that is already drawing national attention.

That pitch came as Republicans tried to frame the contest around family, faith, taxes, and frustration with the direction of the state. Sean Hannity spoke with Rogers, Rep. John James, and House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, all of whom pressed the case that Michigan voters are ready for a hard turn away from government bloat and left-wing politics. The backdrop is a state where every message seems to land with extra force because the Senate seat and the governor’s office are both in the spotlight.

Rogers went after El-Sayed’s standing in Detroit, arguing that the Democrat has failed to connect with Black voters who normally form a dependable part of the party’s base. He said local pastors and neighborhood leaders are hungry for change, suggesting that discontent in the city could open the door for Republicans in places where they rarely get a clean shot.

He also brought Barack Obama into the conversation, pointing to El-Sayed’s past criticism of the former president. Obama is set to appear with El-Sayed in Detroit on Oct. 24, and he has already recorded a video backing the Democrat, but Rogers clearly sees that as a double-edged sword. In a race like this, star power can energize a crowd, but it can also remind skeptical voters of old grudges and unfinished business.

Jewish voters emerged as another major pressure point. Rogers argued that El-Sayed’s criticism of Israel could give Republicans an opening with Jewish Democrats who feel increasingly uneasy about where the party is heading on foreign policy and security.

El-Sayed recently sidestepped a question about whether Iran or Israel was the bigger threat, saying both had acted dangerously in different ways. Rogers quickly seized on that kind of answer, saying even a modest shift among Jewish Democratic voters could matter a lot in Michigan, where tens of thousands of votes can decide the outcome. That kind of math gets loud in the final stretch.

John James used the town hall to make a different but related argument, painting Michigan as overtaxed, overmanaged, and badly in need of a course correction. He said the state is spending far more under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer than it did under the last Republican administration, and argued the real problem is not a lack of tax revenue but a habit of spending too freely.

James also raised the issue of fraud, tying Michigan’s challenges to the kind of taxpayer abuse that has rocked Minnesota. He pointed to reports of large-scale fraud in public programs and suggested Michigan should brace for similar scrutiny instead of shrugging off waste as the cost of doing business.

McClain closed things out with the kind of language that makes clear how sharp the GOP wants this fight to be. She accused Democrats of hiding what she sees as their true agenda, citing court-packing, attacks on police, and efforts to loosen prison sentences as proof that the party is far more radical than it admits.

The tone around the race reflects how little margin either side really has left. With Election Day closing in, Republicans are betting that doubts about El-Sayed’s appeal inside traditional Democratic blocs can do as much damage as any attack ad, especially when matched with a message about spending, order, and voter fatigue with the status quo.