Topline
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., criticized President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada in a new ad for his Senate campaign aired Wednesday—the latest Republican to distance themselves from Trump as his approval rating on the economy hurts their midterm chances.
Mike Rogers, candidate for US Senate in Michigan, speaks during the second day of the Republican National Committee midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on September 10, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)
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Key Facts
“Here in Michigan we know that Canada is not our enemy,” Rogers says in the TV commercial.
“We need to end this tariff war now,” he says, before promising to lower prices if elected.
Rogers is the latest Republican Senate candidate running in a tight race who has broken with Trump as voters’ economic concerns, fueled by rising gas prices due to the Iran war, threaten the party’s midterm chances.
Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., told CNN last week Trump shouldn’t have started a war with Iran “when we didn’t have a plan for keeping the [Strait of Hormuz] open” and “we never should have picked a trade fight with Canada.
Earlier Wednesday, Republican Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, who is running for Senate, complained about the Iran war and gas prices in a recording obtained by Axios, the third recently leaked audio clip of Paxton appearing to suggest Trump’s policies are harmful to his campaign.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, suggested in a debate Tuesday she doesn’t want Trump to campaign with her, telling viewers, “I’m not exactly his favorite senator.”
Tangent
Democrats could pick up as many as six Senate seats, Cook Political Report said Tuesday as it moved three Senate races, including Sununu’s, toward Democrats. Michigan, Texas, Maine and New Hampshire are among seven races rated as toss ups. Michigan is the only one held by a Democrat.
Big Number
49%. That’s the share of respondents in a recent Fox News poll who said they would back Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan.
Key Background
Trump imposed 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods in August, prompting Canada to retaliate with 50% tariffs on hundreds of products, worth about $20 billion in U.S. imports. Canadian officials said they purposely targeted products produced by states with competitive midterm races to punish the Trump administration. Trump also banned certain Canadian alcoholic beverages, dairy products and other goods from entering the U.S. starting Sept. 29 and is threatening new 50% tariffs on Canadian autos, parts and steel starting in January. Neither side has shown any sign of backing down—U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC last month, “we’re comfortable with where we are . . . we have good conversations about potential deals, but it’s not—there’s no urgency on our side, I would say.”
further reading
Hottest 2026 Midterm Races—Historically Red Kansas Becomes Toss-Up (Updated Daily) (Forbes)
Canada Imposes 50% Tariffs On Hundreds Of U.S. Products—Doubling Steel And Aluminum Tax (Forbes)
Ken Paxton Complains About Gas Prices And Iran War In Latest Leaked Audio (Forbes)
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