Michigan U.S. Senate Candidate Surrounds Himself with Anti-LGBTQ+ Extremists and Election Deniers
Aspiring U.S. Senator Mike Rogers has assembled a campaign team of extremist pastors, activists, and election deniers who have long opposed LGBTQ+ rights and promoted false claims about election fraud.
Rogers, a former FBI agent and Republican congressman, launched his 2026 Senate bid in April with the creation of a "Faith Coalition Leadership Team" whose members include hard-right conservatives with well-documented histories of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. The team includes individuals who openly opposed gay marriage and LGBTQ+ rights, encouraged conversion therapy on minors, and shared extreme anti-gay rhetoric.
The coalition's membership aligns with Rogers' own record of voting against LGBTQ+ protections during his time in Congress. During his 14 years in the U.S. House, he consistently opposed expanding federal protections for LGBTQ+ people, including voting against efforts to add sexual orientation or gender identity to federal civil rights statutes.
One of the most prominent members of the coalition is former Michigan Civil Rights Commissioner Linda Lee Tarver, who repeatedly fought efforts to extend basic protections to LGBTQ+ residents while serving on the commission. In 2017, when Equality Michigan asked the commission to interpret the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act as covering sexual orientation and gender identity, Tarver pushed for an outright rejection, saying, "We're not here to expand law; it is not within our purview."
Another coalition member, Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, has preached that LGBTQ+ civil rights undermine Christian teachings. In June, he insisted that extending civil rights to LGBTQ+ residents will "superimpose your sexuality on our culture," urging congregants to pray against what he described as an "abomination."
Pastor Brian Ford, another coalition member, leads a church that labelled homosexuality as a "sexual perversion" and opposed gay marriage on the grounds that it was unacceptable "in the eyes of god."
Rogers' advisory council also includes religious figures and others who tried to overturn or delegitimize past election results. State House Rep. Luke Meerman opposes state legislation aimed at banning conversion therapy, while Republican state senator John Damoose has opposed bills to extend civil rights protections to LGBTQ+ residents.
In a statement, Rogers downplayed the extreme positions of the coalition members, suggesting he couldn't possibly know the views of all of them. However, the Michigan Democratic Party denounced Rogers for surrounding himself with divisive figures at a time when residents are already divided.
"This campaign is built on faith, family, and freedom, but Mike Rogers is running a hateful, out-of-touch campaign that pits neighbors against each other and makes everybody worse off," said Joey Hannum, a spokesperson for the Michigan Democratic Party.
Aspiring U.S. Senator Mike Rogers has assembled a campaign team of extremist pastors, activists, and election deniers who have long opposed LGBTQ+ rights and promoted false claims about election fraud.
Rogers, a former FBI agent and Republican congressman, launched his 2026 Senate bid in April with the creation of a "Faith Coalition Leadership Team" whose members include hard-right conservatives with well-documented histories of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. The team includes individuals who openly opposed gay marriage and LGBTQ+ rights, encouraged conversion therapy on minors, and shared extreme anti-gay rhetoric.
The coalition's membership aligns with Rogers' own record of voting against LGBTQ+ protections during his time in Congress. During his 14 years in the U.S. House, he consistently opposed expanding federal protections for LGBTQ+ people, including voting against efforts to add sexual orientation or gender identity to federal civil rights statutes.
One of the most prominent members of the coalition is former Michigan Civil Rights Commissioner Linda Lee Tarver, who repeatedly fought efforts to extend basic protections to LGBTQ+ residents while serving on the commission. In 2017, when Equality Michigan asked the commission to interpret the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act as covering sexual orientation and gender identity, Tarver pushed for an outright rejection, saying, "We're not here to expand law; it is not within our purview."
Another coalition member, Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, has preached that LGBTQ+ civil rights undermine Christian teachings. In June, he insisted that extending civil rights to LGBTQ+ residents will "superimpose your sexuality on our culture," urging congregants to pray against what he described as an "abomination."
Pastor Brian Ford, another coalition member, leads a church that labelled homosexuality as a "sexual perversion" and opposed gay marriage on the grounds that it was unacceptable "in the eyes of god."
Rogers' advisory council also includes religious figures and others who tried to overturn or delegitimize past election results. State House Rep. Luke Meerman opposes state legislation aimed at banning conversion therapy, while Republican state senator John Damoose has opposed bills to extend civil rights protections to LGBTQ+ residents.
In a statement, Rogers downplayed the extreme positions of the coalition members, suggesting he couldn't possibly know the views of all of them. However, the Michigan Democratic Party denounced Rogers for surrounding himself with divisive figures at a time when residents are already divided.
"This campaign is built on faith, family, and freedom, but Mike Rogers is running a hateful, out-of-touch campaign that pits neighbors against each other and makes everybody worse off," said Joey Hannum, a spokesperson for the Michigan Democratic Party.
... can't we just have some decent candidates for once? It's like every year it's some extremist or another who thinks they can get away with promoting hate and intolerance under the guise of "faith" and "family values". Newsflash: that's not what America is about, folks. We're supposed to be a melting pot of diversity and inclusivity, not some tribal wasteland where people are pitted against each other just because of who they love or how they identify.
. Anti-LGBTQ+ extremists and election deniers? Are you kidding me? This is what we need to combat, not enable with our votes. I swear, sometimes I wonder how people still manage to fall for this nonsense...
... surrounding himself with people who hate LGBTQ+ rights and election deniers? It's like he's trying to make a whole nation of haters 
. I mean, what's next? Will he be courting far-right extremists to join his campaign team too? 
. I get that people have different views, but when you surround yourself with people who actively work to harm others, something's gotta change 
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. It's like they're trying to turn back the clock on all the progress we've made on LGBTQ+ rights, it's just heartbreaking 
. And for someone who claims to be a leader, supporting anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric is just not something I want my kids learning from in school 
. Can't we do better than this? 
This is not what you want to see in a 2026 US Senate candidate 
. The fact that he can't even acknowledge the extreme views of his coalition members without downplaying them just raises more red flags 
. As a country, we need leaders who bring people together, not drive them further apart 
️ like what's next? they're already trying to strip away basic protections and now they're surrounding themselves with people who spew hate speech 24/7 it's not even about politics anymore, it's about fear and division. Rogers needs to take a hard look at his team and realize that he's enabling this toxic behavior 
he needs to get rid of these extremists ASAP or risk being a part of the problem 
"
and I was thinking about how amazing the new National Park they're building in Ohio is gonna be... like, have you seen those pics of the new design? It's gonna be so beautiful! And speaking of beauty, I tried this new face cream that's literally changed my skin game - it's got all these natural ingredients and it smells like a field on a summer day 
. I swear by it now! Anyway, back to politics... what's up with all these folks on the right being so opposed to LGBTQ+ rights? It just seems so... at odds with everything we're supposed to be about in this country 
what's up with this? seems like mike rogers is trying to run for senate without realizing how bad his team sounds 
. I mean, like I'm all about being true to yourself and living your best life, but surrounding yourself with people who think gay marriage is an "abomination" 
. It's so extra, Mike Rogers. I don't even think he knows half the stuff his team is saying 
. This campaign is literally going to be all about division and hate. Can't we just vibe on a different wavelength for once?! 
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. And the fact that he's downplaying their extreme views now is just laughable 
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idk how but i feel like its more refreshing now than their original green tea KitKats lol back to politics i mean i'm not surprised about mike rogers tho his record is pretty sketchy but what's up with the whole faith coalition thing does he think we're all gonna just magically become christian or something