The Detroit News endorsed Mike Rogers for Michigan Senate, while criticizing Abdul El-Sayed over deleted social media posts and videos.
The Detroit News has endorsed Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s closely watched 2026 U.S. Senate race, while sharply criticizing Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed over his handling of older social media posts and videos.
The endorsement, published Wednesday, places the newspaper’s support behind Rogers as he faces El-Sayed in the contest to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
The newspaper described Rogers as having extensive experience in government, national security and the private sector. Rogers served 14 years in the U.S. House and chaired the House Intelligence Committee before leaving Congress in 2015. He later worked in the private sector, including in cybersecurity.
Newspaper questions El-Sayed’s deleted posts
A central part of the endorsement focused on El-Sayed’s decision to remove or archive older online material.
The Detroit News said El-Sayed had deleted social media posts and removed roughly 100 YouTube videos that the newspaper argued provided additional context about his earlier political and cultural views.
The newspaper also raised questions about posts concerning his views in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The El-Sayed campaign has previously said that some older material was removed to prevent posts from being taken out of context.
El-Sayed’s campaign has also emphasized that he has consistently condemned terrorism and the Sept. 11 attacks.
The controversy comes as Republicans have made El-Sayed’s previous statements and associations a major part of their campaign against him. The Associated Press reported earlier this month that GOP officials have focused heavily on his progressive policies, past associations and public statements.
Rogers campaign highlights experience
In its endorsement, The Detroit News pointed to Rogers’ record in Congress and his background in national security.
Rogers was elected to the House seven times and became chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Before entering Congress, he served in the U.S. Army and worked as an FBI agent assigned to the organized crime division, according to the newspaper.
The endorsement also highlighted his subsequent work in cybersecurity and the private sector.
Rogers previously ran for the Senate in Michigan in 2024 but lost the general election to Democrat Elissa Slotkin.
El-Sayed focuses campaign on economic issues
El-Sayed has sought to make affordability and economic issues central to his campaign.
According to the Associated Press, he has emphasized concerns including housing costs, health care and economic pressures facing Michigan voters while campaigning across the state. He has also advocated for Medicare for All and tuition-free higher education.
His campaign has pushed back against Republican efforts to define him primarily through older statements and associations.
The Democratic nominee’s campaign previously said that removing older posts was intended to prevent them from being presented without their broader context.
A closely watched Michigan Senate contest
The endorsement comes in a race that is attracting significant national attention as both parties compete for control of the Senate.
Michigan is expected to be an important battleground in the 2026 midterm elections, and the Rogers-El-Sayed contest has already drawn substantial national political spending and attention.
Recent polling has shown a close contest. Fox News reported that its latest Michigan poll, conducted about a month before the endorsement, showed Rogers with a four-point advantage, while an average of recent surveys characterized the race as being within the margin of error. Polls are snapshots of voter preferences at particular points in time and do not determine the eventual outcome.
The Detroit News endorsement adds another significant development to a campaign increasingly focused on both candidates’ records, past statements and visions for Michigan.
With Election Day approaching, voters will continue to weigh Rogers’ congressional and national-security background against El-Sayed’s campaign priorities and political record as the two candidates compete for the Senate seat.
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