A conservative political action group funded in part by the DeVos family says it will spend upwards of $15 million toward electing Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of White Lake to Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat this year.
Sentinel Action Fund, a super PAC, announced on Wednesday, March 18, its endorsement of Rogers in the race to replace Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, who is stepping down after two six-year terms.
“Michigan is a key pick up opportunity for Republicans in 2026 and Mike Rogers is the America First candidate who will bring conservative leadership to this important seat,” said Sentinel Action Fund President Jessica Anderson. “He is dedicated to helping President Trump implement the policies that will defend manufacturing jobs in Michigan, put money back in Americans’ pockets and solve the problems created by Biden-era inflation.”
No Republican has won a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan since Spencer Abraham was elected to a single term in 1994. Two years ago, Rogers, who had left Congress in 2015 after serving 14 years in the U.S. House, lost a narrow race to the Democratic nominee and current U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin.
Rogers, who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement, is the prohibitive frontrunner for the Republican nomination with no other well-known or politically tested GOP rivals.
That’s a far different scenario than in the Democratic field to replace Peters. Polls have shown U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed of Ann Arbor in a close battle for that party’s nomination, which will be decided, along with the Republican nomination, Aug. 4.
“It’s clear that Mike Rogers has what it takes to win, and support is lining up behind him,” said Rogers’ campaign spokeswoman, Alyssa Brouillet. “With this support and investment, we have more wind in our sails than ever to get Michigan working again.”
Sentinel Action Fund said in a release that its funding will be split between its Super PAC and a sister organization, Right Vote, which is set up as a social welfare organization under the federal tax code. As such, Right Vote does not have to disclose its donors but most of its efforts must go to social welfare campaigns and not electing candidates in order to maintain its nonprofit tax status. Super PACs may raise unlimited funds but must disclose donors and may not coordinate spending with candidates, instead making so-called independent expenditures to affect races.
Dick DeVos and his wife Betsy, who was Department of Education secretary during Trump’s first term, as well as DeVos’ brother Doug and Doug DeVos’ wife Maria gave a total of $750,000 to the Sentinel Action Fund in December 2025. Other major contributors to the fund past and present include Elon Musk and hedge fund manager Paul Singer.
Along with its endorsement, Sentinel Action released a video ad noting Trump’s endorsement of Rogers. Right Vote also opened a website, MI.Vote, “to help Michiganders register to vote and learn how to vote early in this key race,” according to Sentinel Action’s release.
The MI.Vote website, however, does not include any mention of Rogers − and only references Vote Right in the disclaimer at the bottom − instead only carrying the title “Michigan Voter Resources” and appearing to offer access to information for registering and voting, including by early voting, in the November general election.
Sentinel Action Fund’s financial commitment, first reported by the Washington Examiner, is a sizeable one in a race expected to be one of the most expensive in the nation this year. That said, Democratic groups are also already targeting Rogers and Democratic spending is expected to ramp up considerably after the August primary.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on X @tsspangler.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Conservative PAC to spend $15 million to elect Mike Rogers
Reporting by Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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