Michigan Senate hopeful Rogers distances himself from Trump
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Senate candidate Mike Rogers talks to reporters in Detroit in September. Photo: Jeff Kowalsky / AFP via Getty Images.
Michigan Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers called for an immediate end to President Trump's tariff war with Canada in a new ad Wednesday.
Why it matters: Trump endorsed Rogers, but Rogers has increasingly broken with the president as he fights to win a tight race against Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
What they're saying: "Here in Michigan, we know that Canada is not our enemy," Rogers said in a 30-second spot published on social media Wednesday.
- "We need to end this tariff war now. As Michigan senator, I'll bring both parties together to lower your prices."
Catch up quick: Canada and the U.S. have imposed tit-for-tat retaliatory tariffs on each other in recent weeks, and neither side appears interested in backing down.
- The U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, including wine, hockey sticks, trucks, cars and dairy products, before escalating with import bans on some Canadian goods.
- In response, Canada imposed tariffs on $27.6 billion worth of U.S. products, including steel, aluminum, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, plastics and electronics.
- The tariffs also apply to some goods protected by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, eliminating an exemption that had helped keep trade flowing between the two countries while they negotiated.
Zoom in: Rogers also broke with Trump in an ad released late September calling for the Iran War to end quickly.
- In that ad, filmed in a supermarket, he blamed the war for high energy costs and said it needed to end to lower prices.
Between the lines: Trump is deeply unpopular nationally, with 38% of registered voters approving of the job he's doing, according to an Oct. 2–5 Economist/YouGov poll. Among Republicans, 79% approve.
- A Sept. 25–28 Economist/YouGov poll found 63% of registered voters disapprove of Trump's handling of Iran, including 26% of Republicans.
- An Aug. 14–17 Economist/YouGov poll found 64% of U.S. adults disapprove of Trump's handling of tariffs, including 26% of Republicans.
Yes, but: Rogers has also shifted his positions in Trump's favor.
- Rogers previously said in a campaign ad that if elected, he would get the Gordie Howe Bridge opened.
- The bridge, which connects Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit, was highly anticipated locally as an alternative to a highly lucrative privately owned bridge whose owners lobbied the Trump administration to keep the Gordie Howe Bridge closed. Trump initially threatened to block the bridge from opening.
- Shortly after Rogers' ad aired, he reversed course, backing Trump's decision to keep the bridge closed so the U.S. could use it as leverage in trade talks with Canada. The bridge has since been opened.
Zoom out: Republican candidates running in tight races across the country have been pushing to separate themselves from the president, recognizing that high prices tied to Trump's policies could drag them down in November.
- In Iowa, Rep. Ashley Hinson, the GOP's Senate candidate, has reversed her position, calling for the Iran War to end and for lawmakers to pass legislation to tackle gas and diesel prices.
- In Wisconsin, Rep. Tom Tiffany, the GOP nominee for governor, has called on the president to "move on" from the Iran War.
- Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) criticized the Trump administration's beef import policy, which Burchett says could harm ranchers in his state — and Republicans at the polls.
Go deeper: House GOP whip: Limit spending to districts with "biggest return"
