Is Trump-backed Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers a MAGA Republican?
A Michigan rally on Sunday featuring President Trump and one of his most loyal voices within the MAGA movement, rapper Nicki Minaj, would likely lead voters to the conclusion that he is.
But just hours before the star-studded rally, Collins would not directly answer Meet the Press' Kristen Welker's question of whether a vote for him is a vote for Trump's agenda.
Right now, RealClearPolitics ' latest average has El-Sayed just leading Republican Mike Rogers by a mere 1.9 points, 47.9 percent to 46 percent, making Roger's chances essentially a toss-up.
Rather than give a straight answer, Rogers claimed he was having trouble with his earpiece before insisting that electing him would be a 'great day for the state of Michigan.'
The exchange grew more heated when Welker tried one last time before wrapping up the interview to pin him down on his relationship with Trump and the president's political movement.
'Listen, I'm gonna tell you something,' Rogers said, visibly fired up.
'I get you guys on the national press, but this is a little bit disgusting to me.'
Rogers then pivoted to the Democratic primary, arguing that the media was overlooking criticism of Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed by a former chairman of the state Democratic Party.
Just hours before Mike Roger's star-studded rally, he would not directly answer Meet the Press' Kristen Welker's question of whether a vote for him is a vote for Trump's agenda
Rather than give a straight answer, Rogers claimed he was having trouble with his earpiece before insisting that electing him would be a 'great day for the state of Michigan'
Rogers turned the conversation to his rival, Abdul El-Sayed and the Muslim Brotherhood
'You know what you don't cover? The chairman of the Democrat Party just came out and said he cannot, the former chairman, sorry, he cannot vote for Abdul,' Rogers said.
'Congressman, I'm asking about you,' Welker interjected.
The interview then turned to Welker asking what Collins does about Muslim voters who may feel alienated by Rogers' campaign, with the Republican discussing the Muslim Brotherhood, which is designated as a terrorist organization by some governments.
El-Sayed has repeatedly rejected allegations linking him to Muslim Brotherhood and denounced the organization.
But the group has become a line of attack for Republicans because of his half-sister, Eman Abdelhadi's public support of the group in resurfaced X posts.
Trump unleashed a fresh tirade against Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, branding him a 'jihadist' and accusing him of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood during the rally.
'I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator,' Trump told the crowd.
The president also accused El-Sayed of wanting to impose Sharia law in America.
Nicki Minaj and President Trump at Roger's rally in Huron, Michigan on October 25
'Listen, I'm gonna tell you something,' Rogers said, visibly fired up. 'I get you guys on the national press, but this is a little bit disgusting to me,' he said diverting Welker's question of if he was a MAGA Republican
As Trump's approval ratings plummet, multiple Trump-backed candidates like gubernatorial hopeful Byron Donald's have removed Trump's name from their campaign sites
Trump went further, suggesting El-Sayed should face additional security screening if elected, claiming he would be the only senator required to pass through a metal detector before entering the Senate.
Rogers' reluctance to explicitly embrace the MAGA label raises questions about how he is positioning himself in a state that Trump won in 2024, but where Democrats will be fighting hard to retain their Senate foothold.
The MAGA label may be proving a harder sell beyond Trump's loyal base, with a September Fox News poll finding that 63 percent of registered voters view the movement unfavorably, compared with just 35 percent who view it positively.
The findings come as Republicans face a difficult political climate heading into the midterms, with Trump's approval rating under pressure and voters increasingly expressing dissatisfaction with his presidency.
A recent Marist poll found that more than twice as many likely voters described their congressional ballot as mainly a vote against Trump as a vote for him.
Republicans who once proudly branded themselves as MAGA loyalists have been quietly scrubbing Trump's name and image from their campaign websites as they head into November's midterm elections.
At least a dozen Republican candidates in competitive races have removed Trump's name, photographs or endorsements from their websites, according to a Reuters review.
The list includes some candidates who previously made their ties to Trump a central part of their campaigns.
In Florida, Republican Representative Byron Donalds removed eight mentions of Trump's endorsement from his gubernatorial campaign homepage, along with a photograph of himself and his wife with the president and a section titled 'Enact the Trump Agenda.'
Other Republicans have made similar changes.
Texas congressional candidate Eric Flores removed a pledge to 'support President Trump's agenda' from his list of priorities, while Kentucky Republican Ralph Alvarado dropped the description 'America First fighter' in favor of promising 'independent leadership.'
Michigan Republican Mike Bouchard also removed Trump's endorsement from the homepage of his campaign website, although it remained on his endorsements page.
As of October 26, Collins' official Senate campaign website still explicitly promotes his ties to the president, saying he is 'backing President Trump by passing America First legislation in Congress.' The homepage also describes him as 'Georgia's Conservative Workhorse.'
