Mike Rogers' Two-Decade Campaign for War with Iran Shapes Michigan Senate Race

Mike Rogers has advocated for a U.S. war with Iran for at least twenty years, beginning when George W. Bush considered military options. While chairing the House Select Committee on Intelligence (2011-2015), he issued reports alleging Iran’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs, claims later contradicted by the Director of National Intelligence and the IAEA. Rogers also backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pressure campaign and collaborated with the exile group MEK, then designated as a terrorist organization.

The Trump administration’s recent invasion has cost Michigan more than $2 billion, driving up gasoline by $15-$20 per one outlet and fertilizer expenses by up to $22,000 per farm. Rogers continues to praise the war, saying it prevents a nuclear threat, even as he acknowledges the domestic economic pain. His longstanding hard-line posture is now a central issue in his second Senate run, after a narrow loss in 2024, and his campaign declined to comment on the matter.