Michigan GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers’s campaign has sent cease-and-desist letters to more than two dozen local television stations over an ad released by his opponent that it says is false and misleading.
The letter from two legal counsels for the Rogers campaign said the ads sponsored by the campaign for Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat, make a few false claims regarding Rogers’s residency and business involvement.
The ad accuses the former House member of leaving “Michigan for good” after the end of his time in office. Rogers represented Michigan’s 8th Congressional District from 2001 to 2015 before his current Senate run.
The legal team said the claim is “patently false” as Rogers is currently a taxpaying resident of Michigan and is registered to vote in the state.
Democrats have sought to accuse Rogers of carpetbagging over a home he owned in Florida after leaving office and being registered to vote there. He has since moved back to Michigan and resumed being a voter there.
The letter also notes that the ad accuses Rogers of “helping Chinese tech companies” and “giving them access to the U.S.,” but the counsels said this claim is also false as Rogers has not worked for any Chinese technology firms, like ZTE and Huawei, both of which are named on the screen during the ad.
The counsels said that the ad cites a Business Insider article claiming that Rogers made “millions” through this work, but the article does not say this nor mention ZTE or Huawei. They note that the article states that Rogers decided to become involved in cybersecurity firms after leaving office to “help push back on both international criminal gangs” and Russia and China.
The letter states Rogers founded an organization called 5G Action Now in 2020 to oppose Chinese companies trying to be involved in 5G networks in the U.S. and help remove Chinese hardware from infrastructure in the country.
Chris Gustafson, the communications director for the Rogers campaign, said Slotkin previously “couldn’t stop raving” about his record for Michiganders but has changed because she is running against him.
“But rather than defend her own record of high grocery prices, a dangerous open border, and votes to ban gas cars, she’s decided to spread lies and falsehoods about Mike Rogers’ to Michiganders,” he said. “Slotkin is simply a self-serving politician that will say whatever it takes to get elected.”
The counsels urged the TV stations to consider their obligations to the public interest and providing reasonable access to candidates.
“You are not required to provide Elissa Slotkin with absolute and unfettered access to your station’s airtime so she can sponsor ads containing false statements about her opponent,” they said.
The Hill has reached out to Slotkin’s campaign and the stations sent the letters for comment.
Rogers and Slotkin formally became their party’s nominees on Tuesday following the state’s primaries. The race is expected to be one of the most hotly contested this year and to help determine which party wins control of the Senate in November.
