As Trump has reentered the White House rapidly growing in popularity with the normalization of his movement, a troubling phenomenon known as “MAGA-washing” has emerged where disgraced figures attempt to reinvent themselves as Trump-style champions of the people to maintain their lifestyle as career politicians.
This has occurred over the past months with several Democrats – including New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Texas U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar, and former New Jersey U.S. Senator Robert Menendez. These Democrats have attempted to pander to MAGA world as a cloak for their well-deserved scandals resulting from many years of misdeeds, and the act is apparently catching on for RINO Republicans.
Former U.S. Congressman Mike Rogers lost his race for U.S. Senate in Michigan last year as he was unable to carry the hardcore Republicans, independents and libertarians he needed to ride the Trump momentum into higher office. The negative impression of Rogers from these swing voters was more than warranted considering his fingerprints were on all the most reviled policies of the Bush administration.
Rogers is aiming to ‘MAGA-wash’ himself as he embarks upon another U.S. Senate candidacy in 2026. Rogers has reportedly hired former Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita, the hardnosed political operative who was an architect of last year’s RNC takeover from Ronna Romney-McDaniel. Rogers also recently appeared on Steve Bannon’s ‘War Room’ podcast where he talked the talk on America First foreign policy.
“One of the things that was marching toward disaster for the United States was the pushing Russia into the hands of China. That is just not good for us, it’s not good for national security, it is not good for our long-term strategy in how we protect America and all of our interests around the world. So we had to break this cycle somehow… And I think President Trump did exactly that,” Rogers told Bannon.
“Zelensky’s whole persona now is this war-time President of Ukraine with no elections and all of that, and so, he’s having a great time. As long as those checks continue to cash, it would be really hard for him to change his thinking on this. And I believe President Trump was right in getting them to change their thinking. And really, sometimes the only way to get a mule’s attention is the ol’ bricks to the back as my dad used to say,” he added.
It is clear that Rogers is willing to say anything to get elected. His many years in the FBI have forged him into the consummate liar, the serial deceiver, the devious chameleon who shamelessly spews falsehoods in pursuit of personal power and prestige. But Rogers has a record of over 20 years serving in public office, and that record is consistently dismal with the former CNN host offering no contrition for his many reprehensible votes and stances.
Rogers was the chief apologist for NSA surveillance policies that made a mockery of the 4th Amendment. He obstructed the Benghazi investigation because his lobbyist wife’s private security firm was connected to the botched operation. Rogers was a vocal opponent of Trump for many years, trashing Trump in the media as recently as Apr. 2023. He supported Biden’s open-ended Jan. 6 probe and made millions lobbying as an egregious example of the corrupt ‘Revolving Door’ that defines the corporate state.
Rogers’ record is too reprehensible to ‘MAGA-wash’ away. If he and his team can secure him the Trump endorsement – as they did in 2024 – it will end in electoral disaster. Michigan’s electoral gains last year were solely the consequences of the Trump factor. Because Trump was on the ballot, down-ticket Republicans overperformed severely. Michigan Republicans were able to retake the state house as a result. Rogers benefited mightily from the Trump bump but still came short because of his failings.
Without Trump on the ballot, Rogers is more likely to be considered by voters on his own merits. There will not be a legendarily charismatic political figure on the ballot that Rogers can hitch his wagons on. Rogers will be exposed, and the result will be terrible for Michigan Republicans who hope to put their first Republican U.S. Senator into office since 2001. In a U.S. Senate race that is perhaps the most winnable of any nationwide during the upcoming midterm elections due to the impending retirement of incumbent Gary Peters, putting up a candidate with as many skeletons in his closet as Rogers is a blunder that should not be repeated.
Rogers benefited from an extremely lackluster field of U.S. Senate candidates in 2024, but the field is likely going to be far stronger in 2026. One intriguing U.S. Senate possibility for Michigan is Tudor Dixon. Dixon ran for Michigan Governor as a novice in 2022, winning the primary in a surprising upset before losing to incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Dixon ran during a tough electoral cycle and improved her campaigning skills drastically throughout the race. Dixon has since remained relevant in the years since by developing an influential podcast and media network in Michigan.
New data from pro-Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio shows that Republican voters prefer Dixon over Rogers in a variety of important metrics. The data indicates that Michigan voters who are familiar with both Dixon and Rogers prefer Dixon by a stunning 17-point margin. Among strong conservatives in Michigan, Dixon holds a 63 percent favorability rating while Rogers holds a 59 percent favorability rating. Among voters who identify themselves as Trump supporters, Dixon leads Rogers by a nine-point margin. These results make it clear that Dixon is the candidate more likely to energize the Trump base, an incredibly important task in an election cycle when Trump is not on the ballot.
Rogers hopes that through his ‘MAGA-washing’ exploits he can create the impression of inevitability and scare away any true competition. When given a choice between Rogers and a competent opponent, the public will enthusiastically choose the latter. Rogers is hoping that appearing on Bannon, hiring Trump world operatives and camouflaging his neocon views will get him through the Republican primary yet again. If Rogers’ cynical gambit is successful, it will be tantamount to handing Democrats the U.S. Senate seat in Michigan on a silver platter.
