Mike Rogers was supposed to cruise to victory in Michigan, but a sudden intervention from Tucker Carlson may just have derailed his chances
Blurring political lines.
The landscape of the Michigan Senate race just shifted in a way that almost no one saw coming. Mike Rogers, who was widely expected to cruise through his campaign to victory, is now facing a massive hurdle thanks to an unexpected intervention from Tucker Carlson. The full-blown blast that has left the Republican camp reeling. According to The Independent, on Friday, September 11, 2026, Carlson took to his newsletter to declare that Rogers is unfit for office.
This came after a week of intense pressure on Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Both El-Sayed and New York mayor Zohran Mamdani had been the targets of a coordinated wave of attacks surrounding the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. These attacks, which often leaned into anti-Muslim rhetoric, sought to paint both men as having anti-American sentiments.
The criticism against El-Sayed specifically centered on his past comments regarding the War on Terror. He had previously stated that he would spend September 11 mourning the victims of the attacks, and the following day mourning the victims of the subsequent wars. When the Rogers campaign labeled this stance as disgusting, Carlson stepped in with a defense that shocked many. He challenged the idea that criticizing the Iraq War is somehow un-American.
Carlson said that El-Sayed is obviously right
Carlson wrote, “Hold on a second. Disgusting? Understanding that the Bush administration was wrong to kill hundreds of thousands of people and waste trillions of dollars in Iraq, even though, again, Iraq did not do 9/11, is disgusting?”
He further clarified his position by noting that El-Sayed did not celebrate the hijackings or support Al-Qaeda. Instead, the former Republican argued that El-Sayed was simply pointing out that the United States conducting its own terrorism in response was not an appropriate reaction. Carlson concluded that El-Sayed is obviously right.
This intervention is particularly significant given Carlson’s vocal opposition to the current war in Iran. Carlson has been a harsh critic of the strikes launched by the United States and Israel back in February.
He has gone so far as to describe those actions as disgusting and evil. The former Trump supporter even warned President Donald Trump in June that this war would be the end of both his presidency and the MAGA movement. He predicted that the war would consume everything, leaving the president’s legacy in tatters. Carlson told the president that it doesn’t matter what else he does, he will be remembered as the Iran war guy if he stays this course.
For the Rogers campaign, this is a major problem
They have been working hard to frame El-Sayed as a radical extremist, but that strategy clearly isn’t gaining the traction they hoped for. With polling trending in El-Sayed’s favor since the primary, it seems the public appetite for this brand of attack is waning.
Meanwhile, support for the war in Iran is also dropping, and the president’s own approval ratings are currently hovering in the 30s. The economic strain caused by the conflict is clearly taking a toll on the president’s standing.
The tension in Michigan is palpable. Democrats are fighting to hold onto the seat currently occupied by the retiring Senator Gary Peters. They need to secure this win and pick up four other seats to regain control of the Senate. However, the path hasn’t been easy for El-Sayed.
He faced a very difficult primary battle against AIPAC and other Democrats that support Israel. This conflict has only worsened since the Israeli genocide of Gaza intensified in 2023. This mirrors the experience of Mamdani, who faced similar attacks in New York.
Despite the noise, El-Sayed is sticking to his strategy
He has been working to redirect the conversation whenever media outlets try to drag him into debates about his faith or his past comments. He is even navigating the backlash regarding the support his campaign has received from Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who has also faced criticism for his own views on 9/11.
By Sunday, September 13, 2026, the issue reached the Pod Save America podcast. When asked by co-host Tommy Vietor if there was any chance of a crossover event with Carlson, El-Sayed shut it down immediately. According to Mediaite, he noted that while it was unlikely, what he really meant was no. He laughed off the idea, acknowledging that political observers might be looking for a scoop, but there simply isn’t one to be found.
El-Sayed explained his view on why Carlson might be attacking Rogers, suggesting that the commentator has seen the corruption inside the MAGA movement up close. He argued that Carlson recognizes Rogers as someone whose only interest is power and the money that comes with it.
El-Sayed pointed out that Rogers supported trade deals like TPP and NAFTA while in Congress, yet now pretends to be a champion for workers. He also highlighted that Rogers was a staunch supporter of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, only to flip his position now.
While Carlson has made it clear he is done supporting the Republican Party, he stopped short of a formal endorsement of El-Sayed. Still, his message is clear: keep Mike Rogers far away from Washington. It’s a messy, complicated situation that shows just how much the traditional political lines are blurring.
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