EXCLUSIVE - Republican Senate candidate and former Rep. Mike Rogers says President Donald Trump's endorsement gives him a "clear shot" as he aims to flip a Democrat-held seat in battleground Michigan in next year's midterm elections.

The president's backing of Rogers last week came a day after GOP Rep. Bill Huizenga, who had been seriously mulling a Senate run in Michigan, announced that he would not launch a 2026 Senate campaign after consultations with Trump.

Huizenga's announcement and Trump's ensuing endorsement helped clear the field for Rogers, who is making his second straight bid for the Senate.

"It’s huge," Rogers said of Trump's endorsement. "It shows how far we've come in unifying the Republican Party here in Michigan." 

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And Rogers highlighted in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview that "clearing out any potential opponent in a primary allows us to continue to build on the momentum we have."

Rogers pointed to "people jumping on board, wanting to be part of the team" since Trump's endorsement last week.

"Having the Trump endorsement, that just kind of seals the deal. And it means we just get to work to win the election against Democrats in November of ‘26." Rogers is aiming to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, who announced earlier this year that he wouldn’t seek re-election.

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Rogers, a former FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress, is making his second straight run for the Senate in Michigan.

Rogers won the 2024 GOP Senate nomination in Michigan but narrowly lost to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats' nominee, in last November's election in the race to succeed longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who retired. 

Slotkin, who vastly outspent Rogers, edged him by roughly 19,000 votes, or a third of a percentage point.

"We've already seen some opening of checkbooks that maybe weren't willing to do that before," Rogers said of a boost in fundraising since he landed the president's backing last week. 

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"I think it's definitely going to help our fundraising, and it all feeds on itself, so we'll have better fundraising. Better fundraising means more support. More support means broader support. Broader support means we can continue to build out our team and what we have to do across the state," Rogers added.

While Rogers appears to have the GOP field to himself, Democrats are facing a crowded and competitive primary.

Among the announced candidates are Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, former state House Speaker Rep. Joe Tate, and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, of Ann Arbor, a former Wayne County health director.

"The Democrats are absolutely in a knife fight in the primary. They are a mess and fighting each other. They don't know which way they're going," Rogers argued.

Trump narrowly carried Michigan in the 2024 presidential election after losing the state by a razor-thin margin four years earlier. But Republicans haven't won a Senate election in Michigan in over 30 years. You have to go back to former Sen. Spencer Abraham's 1994 victory.

But Rogers said his early start this cycle, compared to his 2024 Senate run, as well as Trump's endorsement, could make the difference in 2026.

"I wasn't even in the race this early last go round," Rogers said. "So to be in the race this early and get his [Trump's] endorsement just says we are serious about winning."

"All good full steam ahead here," Rogers emphasized.