Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers has been in the spotlight lately, but not in a good way, as his campaign’s ties to Mark Barclay’s Living Word Church have increasingly put him under scrutiny. This has enraged many Michigan voters, as leaders of the Living Word Church were recently convicted of child abuse.
According to the Midland Daily News, two members of Mike Rogers’ campaign team had ties to the church. One of them, Tim Cross, resigned three weeks ago, while another still appears to be part of the Republican campaign. This has put Rogers in a delicate position, as he had not publicly acknowledged the connection at the time of the report.
In the race, Rogers will likely face one of three Democratic opponents: Abdul El-Sayed, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, or Rep. Haley Stevens. He previously served in the Michigan Senate from 1995 to 2000 and then as a U.S. representative from 2001 to 2005.
Michigan Voters Slam Mike Rogers
Michigan voters in Reddit’s r/Michigan had very negative opinions about candidate Mike Rogers’ ties to the Living Word Church, arguing that his connections and silence put him in a bad light. One user said, seemingly bitterly, “Wow, I’m glad I wasn’t around Republicans when I was a child.” Another added: “Or a good chunk of religious whackos.”
Some also theorized about how this could affect his chances in the election: “Oh, but Mike’s a ‘statesman’ who has delivered so much for Michigan, although he never goes into detail about that. His little fake Michigan residence is no doubt all ready, and if elected, he can return to his mansion in Florida to enjoy the spoils of all the wonderful things he did for Michigan.”
Others were not so certain that this would affect him very much. “Republicans will still vote for him,” one user claimed, while another sarcastically joked, “He just went up 8 points with Republican voters.”
It remains to be seen how Mike Rogers’ ties to the Living Word Church’s leaders will affect him, but, certainly, these connections do not paint him in a positive light in the eyes of many Michigan voters.
