Democratic group to spend $20 million to defend Michigan US Senate seat
WASHINGTON - A national Democratic group said Thursday it intends to commit $20 million to TV reservations in Michigan this fall as an initial investment to help keep the state's open U.S. Senate seat in Democratic hands.
Senate Majority PAC, a super political action committee affiliated with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, said the TV reservations ensure that Michigan voters will hear how Republican presumptive nominee Mike Rogers "backed Trump's tariffs and supported stripping millions from Medicaid."
SMP said the TV reservations will be complemented by an unspecified digital investment and begin airing this fall.
The spending ― which could be increased or canceled down the road ― is part of the flood of outside spending anticipated in one of the country's most closely watched Senate contests this year.
In other competitive states, SMP previously announced plans to spend $46 million to boost Democrat Sherrod Brown in Ohio's Senate race, $33.4 million in Maine, $31.4 million in North Carolina, $13.4 million in Iowa and $10.6 million in Alaska. All five of those states are held by Republicans and are targeted by Democrats to flip in November.
"Mike Rogers has made his priorities crystal clear ― and Michigan isn't one of them," Senate Majority PAC Spokesperson Lauren French said in a statement.
"While auto workers worried about their jobs and families struggled to keep the lights on, Rogers was busy pledging his allegiance to Donald Trump and the special interests writing his checks. Michigan deserves better, and this November, they'll prove it."
In Michigan, the GOP is bullish on Rogers prevailing in part due to the bruising primary playing out on the Democratic side among U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed of Ann Arbor.
"Comparing Michigan Democrats to a dumpster fire is a disservice to dumpsters. This far-left purity test becomes more unhinged by the day and is set to leave Democrats with a deeply flawed and underfunded nominee," said Chris Gustafson, spokesman for the Senate Leadership Fund, the GOP counterpart to SMP.
"While Democrats cater to the woke left and battle over who hates Michigan more, Mike Rogers will continue to build a winning campaign that puts working families first and creates new opportunities for Michiganders to succeed."
National Republicans rank Michigan as a top pickup opportunity in the fall midterm elections. SMP's counterpart, Senate Leadership Fund, last month announced $45 million in initial reservations to help Rogers.
While SMP's $20 million reservation is just for TV, SLF's commitment of $45 million in Michigan will cover broadcast, cable, streaming TV and radio airtime reservations, as well as data, direct mail, text messaging, field outreach, a ballot "chase" for unreturned absentee ballots and get-out-the-vote efforts, the Thune-affiliated group said last month.
Rogers, a former seven-term congressman from White Lake Township, narrowly lost the 2024 Senate race to Democratic then-U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Holly by about 19,000 votes.
That cycle, SLF spent a total of $34.33 million to help Rogers in Michigan, while WinSenate PAC ― a group affiliated with Senate Democrats ― dumped $23 million into the contest, followed by the pro-Rogers Great Lakes Conservatives Fund with about $21 million, according to OpenSecrets.
Michigan's Senate seat is open because two-term U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, is retiring.
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 10:02 AM.