STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — A day after a sharp, sometimes tense debate with Democrat Abdul El‑Sayed, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers was back on the trail Friday, this time alongside Sen. John Kennedy.
Mr. Kennedy showered Mr. Rogers with very Kennedy‑esque praise, while calling Mr. El‑Sayed a product of the “Hamas wing” of the Democratic Party that he said has gone “crazy.”
“Mike Rogers pisses excellence,” Mr. Kennedy told reporters outside a metal finishing company Mr. Rogers said is benefiting from the reshoring of manufacturing.
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Mr. Kennedy, Louisiana Republican, also repeatedly dodged questions about whether his busy travel schedule is a warm‑up act for a 2028 presidential run.
Mr. Kennedy said he came to Michigan for one reason: “I’m here for Mike Rogers.”
He described the GOP nominee as “temperate” and someone who “doesn’t swing at every pitch,” but added that Rogers shows a tougher side when Michigan’s interests are on the line.
“I’ve seen Mike’s fangs,” he said.
Mr. Rogers, a former FBI special agent, and Mr. El-Sayed, a former director of the Wayne County Department of Health, are locked in a tight race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
They faced off on the debate stage for the first time Thursday in Grand Rapids, trading jabs over Iran, gas prices, and tariffs in a showdown that became personal at times.
Mr. Kennedy said the debate laid out the stark differences between the parties.
“I’m not going to pretend that Republicans are perfect,” he said. “But the other side’s crazy, folks. And Mike’s opponent is symbolic of that.”
Mr. Kennedy has been on the road frequently, including recent stops in Ohio, Alaska, and Kansas.
He brushed off repeated questions about whether his swing through battleground states signals a 2028 presidential bid. But he did reiterate that the “goober factor” will play a big role in whether he runs for president. If “a bunch of goobers run,” he said, he’d consider it.
Asked to define what that meant, Mr. Kennedy didn’t name names. Instead, he compared it to pornography.
“It’s hard to define, but you know it when you see it,” he said.
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