With Election Day just days away, Michigan’s midterm landscape is being shaped by rising fuel costs, a heated U.S. Senate battle, and a Republican rally in Livingston County that brought together some of the party’s top names. Here’s what voters need to know about what was said — and what’s driving the issues.
Vice President JD Vance headlined the event, held at a local airplane hangar, where he and other GOP candidates made their closing arguments ahead of November 3. The centerpiece of Vance’s remarks was the Michigan U.S. Senate race pitting Republican Mike Rogers against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.
Vance drew attention to El-Sayed’s heritage in a pointed comment during his address:
“Mike Rogers is fighting to give power back to the people by investing in our country, and given that Abdul El-Sayed allegedly came from Egypt, maybe he just wants to give a little bit more to his former neighbors.”
The remark is notable because El-Sayed was not born in Egypt — he was born in Rochester Hills, Michigan, a fact Vance himself acknowledged earlier in the same speech.
Energy Costs Cast a Shadow Over the Campaign
Republicans are navigating an unusual challenge heading into this election: a spike in gas and diesel prices linked to President Donald Trump’s order for airstrikes on Iran earlier this year. Reports indicate the administration has been weighing further military action but has held off until after the election. Both the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the Congressional Budget Office have attributed the price increases to the ongoing conflict with Iran. Michigan, in particular, is being hit particularly hard.
Vance, however, directed blame elsewhere — pointing to what he called “tinpot dictators” and Democratic renewable energy policies as the source of high energy costs.
Rogers himself has called for an end to the conflict with Iran in campaign advertising, though he has avoided directly criticizing President Trump. Vance appeared unbothered by that distance, saying:
“I don’t want in Mike Rogers a servant for the administration. I want in Mike Rogers a servant for the people of Michigan.”
Senate Race Turns to Personal Attacks
Rogers largely bypassed policy discussion in his rally speech, instead training his fire on El-Sayed’s ideology. El-Sayed is Muslim, and Rogers has continued to make spurious claims about a connection between El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood, an Egypt-founded organization. At the rally, Rogers framed the race in broader terms:
“It’s not about how you pray; it is how you think. This guy’s ideology is extreme.”
Other Candidates Weigh In
Congressman Tom Barrett, seeking re-election in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, used his time at the podium to focus on statewide races and make the case for Republican turnout. He warned of what he said would happen if Democrats prevailed:
“We would reverse our progress on reducing fentanyl, reducing crime, and putting American families first.”
Michigan gubernatorial candidate John James delivered an energetic get-out-the-vote message, touching on public safety and gun rights:
“If you like your Second Amendment rights, you better vote like it. If you want to make sure that we have safer streets and your daughter can walk home safely at night or through her locker room after the game, you better vote like it.”
Election Day is November 3. Officials are reminding voters that absentee ballots should be returned to a drop box rather than mailed at this point, as postal delivery may not be fast enough to ensure they are counted in time. More coverage of Michigan’s politics and government is available for voters tracking the final days of the race.
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