Republican Mike Rogers is signaling openness to support from AIPAC as he battles for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat in one of 2026’s most competitive races.
The race has drawn national attention partly because it is the only open Democratic-held Senate seat in a state that Donald Trump carried in the 2024 presidential election.
Rogers faces Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive advocate who pulled off a notable primary upset despite facing a flood of outside spending from pro-Israel groups.
El-Sayed overcame more than $60 million in spending, mostly from pro-Israel organizations, to defeat pro-Israel Congresswoman Haley Stevens and claim the Democratic nomination.
AIPAC’s largest Super PAC arm, the United Democracy Project, spent a record $30.6 million in the Democratic primary race alone trying to stop El-Sayed’s candidacy.
In total, AIPAC spent over $60 million on Democratic primaries during the 2026 cycle, a significant increase compared to roughly $40 million spent two years prior.
Despite that heavy investment failing to block El-Sayed in the primary, the pro-Israel lobby now appears positioned to direct resources toward the general election contest.
Rogers opening the door to AIPAC support could prove significant in a state with one of the largest Arab American and Muslim American communities in the United States.
El-Sayed, if victorious in November, would make history as the first Muslim senator ever elected to the United States Senate.
Both candidates were set to face off in their first debate after weeks of online sparring and a barrage of advertisements flooding Michigan airwaves from outside groups.
The Michigan Senate race has become a flashpoint in the broader national debate over the influence of pro-Israel money in American electoral politics heading into the fall.
With control of the Senate potentially hanging in the balance, outside groups on all sides are expected to pour tens of millions more into the state before Election Day.
