EXCLUSIVE — The Sentinel Action Fund has endorsed Mike Rogers in Michigan’s closely watched Senate race and will spend more than $15 million to boost his bid, injecting significant outside money into one of the GOP’s top pickup opportunities of the 2026 midterm elections.
While Rogers has reported the largest cash-on-hand totals in the race, his overall fundraising pace has lagged behind top Democratic contenders, who have posted stronger quarterly hauls and benefited from robust small-dollar networks.
The conservative super PAC said the investment, split with its affiliated nonprofit group Right Vote, will fund advertising, voter outreach, and early-vote operations in the battleground state. The group also rolled out a new ad highlighting Roger’s endorsement from President Donald Trump and launched a voter resource website to increase turnout.
“Michigan is a key pick up opportunity for Republicans in 2026, and Mike Rogers is the America First candidate who will bring conservative leadership to this important seat,” Sentinel Action Fund President Jessica Anderson said, adding that Rogers would “work with President Trump to strengthen Michigan and our nation.”
The endorsement underscores national Republicans’ growing focus on Michigan as a prime flip opportunity as they look to expand their Senate majority. Rogers, a former congressman and Trump-backed candidate, has consolidated support among many GOP operatives.
The outside spending from SAF could help offset the fundraising gaps between Rogers and leading Democratic contenders.
Rogers has been navigating his campaign as though he has already won the primary set for Aug. 4. At the end of 2025, he reported having $3.5 million in cash on hand, according to Fair Election Commission filings. However, his Democrat challengers had significantly more in individual contributions than Rogers.
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Democratic state Sen. Mallory McMorrow each had over $5.5 million in individual contributions at the end of 2025, while Rogers ended the year with $3.4 million in such contributions.
While it’s unclear how big a role cash will play in the Senate race, SAF said it plans to target absentee and early voters to support Rogers, a strategy Republicans have increasingly embraced after lagging Democrats in mail and early voting in election cycles.
Rogers’s path to the nomination has not been without friction. He has faced skepticism from some corners of the GOP base and drawn primary opposition, though Trump’s endorsement has helped solidify his standing as a leading candidate. The primary is expected to test Rogers’s ability to unify Republican voters ahead of a competitive general election.
Democrats, meanwhile, are locked in a multicandidate primary with several contenders competing for the nomination in a state that has swung between parties in recent presidential and statewide races.
SAF pointed to its own internal polling showing Rogers leading possible Democratic opponents in hypothetical matchups, though independent surveys have shown a tighter race.
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Polls from January by Emerson College show Stevens and McMorrow ahead of Rogers in a possible general election matchup, with Stevens holding a larger lead.
The group’s endorsement of Rogers marks its second of the 2026 cycle, following its earlier backing of Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). In 2024, the organization invested heavily in Senate contests across several battleground states, including Sens. Dave McCormick (R-PA), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), and Bernie Moreno (R-OH).