Culture and Social Issues

Mike Rogers Now Says He Welcomes AIPAC Support After Allies Previously Told Group To Butt Out

Mike Rogers in 2015 (Hudson Institute / Wikimedia Commons)

Republican Michigan Senate nominee Mike Rogers said during a Thursday debate that he welcomed support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) after allies previously reportedly discouraged the group from spending in the race.

Rogers’ allies told AIPAC in August not to advertise on his behalf after his rival Abdul El-Sayed defeated his primary opponent, Democratic Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, who received backing from AIPAC, Axios first reported. The Republican nominee said during the debate that he welcomed all the help he could get to defeat El-Sayed.

“Do you welcome AIPAC’s public support given that you do support many pro-Israeli positions?” moderator Rick Albin, a west Michigan-based WOOD TV8 political reporter, asked.

“Anybody that wants to help my campaign, stop a guy who can’t condemn terrorism in our own country because he’s so close to the people who are supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, I’ll take all of that help,” Rogers said.

Rogers’ campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

AIPAC shelved an already-cut video ad targeting El-Sayed one day after Rogers met with AIPAC chair Michael Tuchin in Los Angeles, according to Axios. The United Democracy Project (UDP), a super PAC affiliated with AIPAC, spent $30.6 million in independent expenditure opposing El-Sayed in the Democratic Michigan primary, spending over $20 million opposing El-Sayed and over $10 million supporting Stevens, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.

It appears that UDP has not spent money on Rogers’ campaign so far, FEC filings show.

El-Sayed accused Israel of committing genocide throughout his candidacy. He called Israel a “rogue state” in July that committed “human rights abuses, genocide and apartheid.” He argued during the debate that the U.S. should stop sending blank checks to Israel’s military.

AIPAC and the pro-Israel lobby have become increasingly unpopular, particularly among Democrats and young voters. Over 100 House Democrats voted for Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie’s amendment in June that would have slashed $3.3 billion in foreign aid to Israel. In April 2024, only 37 Democrats voted for a similar measure that would have cut aid to Israel.

Democratic New York Rep. Dan Goldman lost his primary after AIPAC and affiliated groups supported his campaign. His opponent, former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, promised in a campaign video that he would not do “AIPAC’s bidding” if elected to Congress.

Sixty percent of U.S. adults had an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 53% in 2025, according to the Pew Research Center. While more Republicans had a favorable view of the nation, 57% of Republicans between the ages 18 and 49 had an unfavorable opinion.

About 30% of U.S. adults believed Israel committed genocide against Gaza, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The survey found that Americans have increasingly shifted their sympathies toward Palestinians over Israel since the war began following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.

Massie introduced a bill in May that would require AIPAC to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938. The pro-Israel lobby and AIPAC spent over $9 million in support of Massie’s opponent, Republican Kentucky congressional nominee Ed Gallrein, and later congratulated him on his victory in the May 19 primary.