Reversals on Iran war, data centers preceded tariff shift
Michigan Senate Republican nominee Mike Rogers broke with President Trump on Wednesday by calling for an end to the tariff fight with Canada, the latest break in a series of recent reversals on positions he had previously defended. In a new ad released the day before the candidates’ first scheduled debate, Rogers said, “Here in Michigan, we know that Canada is not our enemy. We need to end this tariff war. Now.” In the same ad, Rogers, a former congressman who narrowly lost a run for Senate in 2024, pledged to work across the aisle to lower costs for Michigan families and said his opponent supports tax hikes that would do the opposite—a reference to El-Sayed’s backing of Medicare for All.
In recent months, Rogers has also called for a quick end to the war in Iran and a one-year statewide moratorium on new data-center construction, both of which he had previously defended. The pattern has emerged as the Rogers campaign recalibrates its posture toward the Trump White House in the closing weeks of the Senate race.
Trump imposed a 50% tariff on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian goods this summer, which Rogers had defended as necessary for Michigan manufacturing. The tariff has since emerged as a campaign vulnerability in the border state, where roughly 36% of all Michigan exports go to Canada. A September poll found 41% of state voters said their family finances had gotten worse over the past year, and 42% said their vote for Congress would be a vote against Trump.
El-Sayed has sought to keep the tariff issue in focus on the campaign trail. He has called the levies “Trump and Mike Rogers’s tariffs” and said in an August CNN interview that Rogers was “caught between knowing full well that these tariffs are bad for Michiganders” while staying aligned with the president.
El-Sayed escalated Wednesday in a post on X, writing that Rogers cheered the tariff war “from the beginning and you’re flip-flopping now because your poll numbers are in free fall.”
Rogers has stopped short of directly criticizing Trump, framing his break as a Michigan-first stance. A Rogers spokeswoman said, “Mike’s once again doing what he always does—the right thing for Michigan.”
The race is competitive. A recent YouGov poll showed El-Sayed leading Rogers by one point. Michigan narrowly backed Trump in the most recent presidential election, after voting for Biden in 2020.
Control of the U.S. Senate is at stake. Democrats need to hold the seat, left open by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters’s retirement, to have a good shot at winning back the chamber. Republicans are defending a 53-47 majority that includes two independents who caucus with the Democrats.
Both parties are pouring tens of millions of dollars into the race. Earlier this week, El-Sayed dared Trump to come to Michigan and stump for Rogers. “Clearly, your candidate can’t speak for himself. He doesn’t have anything to say. Clearly, you are the answer,” El-Sayed said in an interview with MSNow. Trump told reporters that day he planned to visit the state.
The Canada tariff break marks a notable evolution for Rogers. He openly criticized Trump before successfully seeking his endorsement during his first Senate run in 2024. In 2021, Rogers wrote Trump was “more gangster than presidential,” and in 2022, he said Trump’s “time has passed.” Rogers endorsed Trump for president in his 2024 campaign.