DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers has received the endorsement of The Detroit News editorial board, which backed Democrat Haley Stevens in the Aug. 4 primary election.

“Mike Rogers is clearly the best choice for Michigan’s U.S. Senate seat and gets our endorsement,” the board wrote. It cited the 63-year-old Rogers’ experience in the military, the FBI, the Michigan Legislature and the U.S. House.

The editorial board also criticized Rogers’ Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, arguing that the former health official lacks the government and policymaking experience needed for the job.

The endorsement comes as new polling shows a tight race between Rogers and El-Sayed. An Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media survey released Thursday found El-Sayed leading Rogers 48% to 46%, with 4% undecided. The two-point difference falls within the poll’s three-point credibility interval.

“There’s a substantial educational divide in the Senate race,” Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball said. Voters without a four-year degree favored Rogers 48% to 45%, while college graduates supported El-Sayed 53% to 42%.

Other divisions also hang over the race. Rogers, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, has disagreed with some of Trump’s tariff policies. El-Sayed continues to face scrutiny over his association with streamer Hasan Piker, who once said America “deserved 9/11.” El-Sayed has since distanced himself from Piker’s remarks.

Both candidates have also experienced electoral victories and defeats. Rogers left Congress in 2015 and entered the private sector. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 2024 but lost to Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin. El-Sayed ran for governor in 2018 but lost the Democratic primary to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The election is Nov. 3.