A sitting Michigan Democratic state representative is actively campaigning for the Republican Senate nominee.
Rep. Karen Whitsett of Detroit crossed party lines to appear publicly with Republican Mike Rogers as he launched a coalition aimed at recruiting Democrats who feel alienated by progressive nominee Abdul El-Sayed. The event, called “Democrats for Rogers,” was held in a residential neighborhood on Detroit’s west side, with Rogers making a direct appeal to voters who typically pull the lever for Democrats.
Whitsett’s sharpest criticism targeted El-Sayed’s support for Medicare for All, warning of what that policy could mean for private health insurance. El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic primary earlier in August, and Rogers has since made courting those moderate Stevens supporters a central strategy heading into the general election.
According to a report, a video posted by Rogers’ campaign showed Whitsett welcoming him directly to her block. “I am very happy to stand here on my block, and this is actually my mother-in-law’s home, and I actually live a few doors down,” she said. Whitsett compared Rogers favorably to former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, adding that she was “very confident that he won’t leave us behind.
This is not Whitsett’s first time bucking her own party. Now in her fourth term in the Michigan House, she has a documented history of working alongside Republicans on issues ranging from public safety to taxes and abortion. She has also clashed repeatedly with Democratic leadership in Lansing. Whitsett has announced she will not seek another term in the state House.
Her decision to appear with Rogers is a notable signal for a Senate race that could hinge on whether El-Sayed’s progressive platform plays beyond the Democratic base. Rogers is betting it does not, and Whitsett is his most visible Democratic ally so far in making that case.
