Michigan Senate nominee Rogers cites early-vote trends and questions El-Sayed's record as early voting begins

Mike Rogers, the Republican U.S. Senate nominee in Michigan and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Saturday that his campaign is drawing support from longtime Democratic voters as he seeks to defeat Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed in November. Rogers said modeling of early ballot returns in Michigan favors Republicans, calling it a good sign as the statewide early in-person voting period began. He also raised concerns about El-Sayed's alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and his national security positions. Rogers cited a 2012 letter El-Sayed signed about Mohamed Morsi, who became Egypt's president that year, saying it supported the Brotherhood and urged purging the police and press. He pointed to El-Sayed's earlier leadership role in the Muslim Student Association at the University of Michigan, which he described as having alleged Brotherhood connections. He said the Brotherhood praised El-Sayed's August primary win on its website. Rogers said the issue is how a person thinks, not how they pray, noting that he and his son wore the U.S. uniform. Separately, one report said nationwide early voting reached 23 million ballots, with Democrats and unaffiliated voters outpacing Republicans.

Right-leaning outlets Breitbart and Newsmax both center on Rogers's Saturday interviews. Breitbart's exclusive leads with his warning about El-Sayed's "radical ideology," built on the Morsi letter, the student association role and the Brotherhood's primary praise. Newsmax leads with his optimism about early GOP ballot returns in Michigan. Neither excerpt includes a response from El-Sayed's campaign. Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while alternative/independent and right-leaning outlets had. NewsNation, the alternative source, takes a different angle: national and battleground early-vote totals showing Democrats and unaffiliated voters outpacing Republicans. It features no Rogers quotes and does not mention the Michigan race in its excerpt.