The proposal was simple: Republican candidate for the US Senate, Mike Rogers, is a conservative who adopts a practical approach, while his Democratic competitor, Abdul Sayed, is a socialist who supports expanding the role of government and identifies with the left wing of the party.
But when a Rogers campaign operative relayed this message to Nick DeLis — a Detroiter who voted for Donald Trump three times — he was met with some skepticism.
DeLis said he would likely vote for Rogers; But he rejected the idea that Democrats are dominated by the hard left, adding that the party is focused on finding practical solutions to voters' problems.
This exchange provided a direct glimpse into a strategy pursued by Republicans in Michigan and other swing states, which is based on portraying Democrats as ideological extremists who have moved too close to the left, while at the same time working to motivate supporters who are less politically involved, and whom the party needs to maintain its majority in Congress in the November elections.
Last week, Reuters accompanied door-knockers with Americans for Prosperity Action, a political action committee affiliated with a conservative network backed by billionaire Charles Cook, in Livonia as they sought to mobilize voters to support Rogers in the close race.
The conversations demonstrated the appeal of republican messages and their limitations at the same time. With many Americans dissatisfied with President Donald Trump's handling of the economy and the war in Iran, Republicans are facing difficulty in finding messages capable of pushing voters affected by the high cost of living to the polls on Election Day.
Delis (32 years old) seemed an ideal recipient of this message. The American flag was hanging on the balcony of his modest one-story house, while two light trucks were parked in the driveway leading to the house, and a “Thin Blue Line” sign in support of the police was hung in the parking lot.
The man admitted that he does not know much about the candidates, and usually absents himself from the midterm elections, attributing his conservative tendencies to the influence of relatives who work in law enforcement agencies. He also complained about the cost of fueling his trucks.
Delis told Reuters in a later interview: “I am not so radical that I should vote Republican.” He added that he did not rule out supporting a Democratic candidate if he decided to participate in the vote, saying: “I would be open to that.” “I am not saying that the possibility is not possible.”
In contrast, many of the people the campaign activists met were already supportive of Rogers, making the conversations more focused on urging them to vote than convincing them.
A Trump supporter - who is in her sixties - said that she and two members of her family decided to support Rogers, while a middle-aged man who was speaking in a neighbor's yard said that he would support Rogers to prevent what he described as a socialist shift among the Democrats.
Trump and his allies sought to exploit the recent victories of some left-leaning Democrats - including Abdul Sayed - in the primary elections, to demonstrate that the party is sliding towards socialism and poses a threat to the country, an accusation that Democratic Party leaders reject, describing it as incorrect and aimed at raising fears. At the same time, Trump called on his party to put him at the center of their electoral efforts despite his declining popularity.
A Republican couple in their 90s highlighted a potential weakness in Trump's mobilization strategy. While the wife said she would vote for Rogers, her husband said his dissatisfaction with the president made him unsure of his ability to support the Republican Senate candidate. One campaign activist tried to shift the conversation toward policy differences and away from Trump.
“People are not very happy with the situation in the world right now,” Tim Golding, senior advisor to Americans for Prosperity Action in Michigan, said in an interview. But we are trying to move on from that conversation and return to the policies and program presented by our candidates, and not make the conversation revolve around Trump as much as possible.”
Voter apathy
With Trump recording weak approval ratings, and even though he is not a name on the ballot, Republicans must mobilize supporters who may in turn refrain from participating in the midterm elections, in which turnout usually drops by more than 10 percentage points compared to presidential elections.
This historical trend increases the importance of door-knocking campaigns and other voter mobilization efforts implemented by Republicans nationwide during these elections.
Democrats seem more enthusiastic; The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 42 percent of voters who identify as Democrats say they are “very excited” to vote, compared to 28 percent of Republican voters.
In Michigan, concerns about the enthusiasm gap came to light when a Republican working with Rogers' campaign complained about lack of enthusiasm among volunteers for door-knocking and other activities.
Jackson Karkey, a university student who was helping the campaign organize work in several northern provinces, wrote on “X” last week that “the atmosphere on the ground is the worst I have ever seen in my life.” “No one wants to promote candidates, no one wants to knock on doors, and no one wants to do anything.”
But other Republicans dispute that characterization. In Oakland County (one of the most important swing election battlegrounds in Michigan, which includes more than a million registered voters), Vance Patrick, head of the Republican Party in the region, said that volunteer enthusiasm remains strong.
He said in an interview that Trump will visit the state twice before the November 3 elections, which he expected would contribute to encouraging volunteers and increasing voter turnout.
State party organizations, like the one Patrick leads, have become more important in Michigan as the Republican Party's statewide capabilities have declined in the past few years.
Patrick said that among the most important target groups in the region are about 20,000 Jewish voters, which is an important group for Rogers, in light of Abdul Sayed’s opposition to military aid to Israel, and his description of Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.
The campaign targets 38,000 so-called “sleeping giants” voters, who are rare voters who Republicans believe will support Rogers if they are persuaded to cast their ballots.
Michigan is a model for a national effort
A knowledgeable source said that Rogers' campaign - along with Americans for Prosperity and other outside groups - intends to knock on between 6 million and 8 million doors by Election Day, nearly double the total from 2024, when he lost the Senate race by 19,000 votes.
This effort reflects the scale of the Republican strategy to mobilize voters at the national level. Campaigns and allied groups are investing heavily in door-knocking and other voter targeting, amid concerns about low enthusiasm for voting.
Nationally, Republicans have a $637 million financial lead over Democrats, across super PACs and party committees, which far exceeds Democrats' advantage in fundraising for candidates and could help fund broader voter mobilization, according to Brendan Glavin, director of analytics at OpenSecrets.
But Democrats say money alone will not decide the race. The Michigan Democratic Party said its number of active volunteers has risen 267 percent since the primary, with the party rallying behind Abdul Sayed.
Curtis Hertel, head of the Michigan Democratic Party, said that Democrats will knock on 1.4 million doors during the last four weeks of the campaign, considering that this effort will limit Republican attempts to divert attention from the livelihood issues that concern voters.
They are counting on voters like one Livonia resident whose door was knocked on, who was asked who he planned to vote for and simply replied, “Not Mike Rogers,” before closing the door.
