With only 560 days until the election in 2026, we just don't have enough time to figure out what is going on in the United States of America, election-wise. I'm only kidding a bit, but I feel the next 559 days will go super fast.

As I have stated right here on the extremely hallowed pages of RedState and also on my radio show, I am a Michiganian and I know Michigan, which I feel allows me to talk about what is going on in the Great Lake State whenever I gosh darn feel like it.

Thankfully, I feel like talking about it today.

Former Michigan Congressman Mike Rogers announced his bid to once again win the GOP nomination to face off against a Democrat in 2026. That seat is currently held by a Democrat, the super-duper non-exciting Senator Gary Peters.

I read about Rogers' announcement in the Detroit News:

Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers is launching his second campaign for the U.S. Senate on Monday, after narrowly losing the 2024 race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin by about 19,000 votes.

Rogers on Monday formally entered the race for the Republican nomination. The 61-year-old Brighton native represented a mid-Michigan district in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2015 and was previously a state senator and FBI agent. He now resides in White Lake Township.

"Mike will be an ally for President Trump and champion for Michigan," a statement from the Rogers campaign said on Monday.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott of South Carolina immediately endorsed Rogers on Monday.

Rogers, who was endorsed by Trump in 2024, has already gained the backing of possible future colleagues in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott of South Carolina immediately endorsed Rogers on Monday.

He also gained the support of some prominent local elected officials in Macomb County in the form of former Michigan Congressperson and current Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candace Miller and Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido.

Macomb County is an important swing area in the state that used to be called the home of the Reagan Democrats and has consistently supported Donald Trump. The area contains a large Blue Collar swath of voters who will vote Democrat as a default position, but are more than happy to swing over to a Republican if given a reason to.

There are others considering jumping into the race, like Rep. Bill Huizenga of Holland. Yet I imagine if Donald Trump comes out and endorses earlier in the process rather than later, that will end any attempts to prolong the primary season.

I don't have a problem with anyone who thinks they could do the job running, but it seems a lot of times people do this just to put it on their resume — "former Senate candidate," or something similar to that.

No matter who gets in and runs, this will be a fight, as I wrote earlier this year when Peters called it quits.

Michigan Gets a Surprise Retirement in the Senate for 2026 Midterms - Can the GOP Take Advantage of It?

Now the real fun begins on who the Democrats and the Republicans in the Great Lake State will nominate to compete for the seat in just under two years. Open Senate seats are a bit of a rarity in this country, and being that there are only 100 of them, approximately only 33 are up for bid every two years — an open one here in Michigan will be a firefight.

I would caution Michigan Republicans who assume that they can just chalk this one up to a Republican. The Michigan GOP has to select a chairperson next month, and that will be a minor blood bath with some who think that anyone saying Donald Trump's name magically can win a state that only Donald Trump has won twice — in  2016 by 11,000 votes and last year by 80,000. Trump, of course, is NOT on the ballot next year and will never be again, so that really should be taken into consideration. 

I do have hope that the party can get in shape in time for November of 2026 and get organized enough to make a good showing in the mid-term of a president's second term. However, I know a lot of people who had hopes for the Detroit Lions after having a great regular season, too.

Now that State Sen. Jim Runestad has been elected as the Michigan GOP chair, it is time to see what the party can do to make all the races in the state competitive in November of 2026.

Let the fun begin.

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