Mike Rogers took big donations from oil and gas
Mike Rogers, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, took large donations from the oil and gas industry when he served in the House of Representatives.
Rogers was in the House from 2001 to 2015 before retiring to Florida. His congressional record suggests that he consistently voted to advance oil and gas interests, sometimes at the expense of his constituents.
OpenSecrets, which tracks dark money in politics, says Rogers took $693,234 from oil and gas companies, executives, and employees over the course of his congressional career. He took in even more donations in his current campaign and his failed 2024 bid for the U.S. Senate.
In 2005, as gas prices were surging amid the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Rogers supported the Energy Policy Act. The White House said the legislation would lower gas prices while fulfilling a wishlist of industry goals, including tax cuts for the construction of oil and gas infrastructure and allowing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The nonpartisan Cato Institute warned that these changes would mostly provide subsidies to oil and gas producers while doing little to bring down prices. A 2006 analysis by the conservative Heritage Foundation said the law actually contributed to a further rise in fuel costs.
In 2007 and 2008, Rogers voted against the bipartisan Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act. The bill sought to ban oil and gas companies from charging excessive prices during energy shortages or other national emergencies. It did not become law.
Gas prices are set internationally. That’s why disruptions to oil flow in the Middle East lead to higher prices in the United States. This allows domestic oil and gas companies to charge higher prices without experiencing the same disruptions, helping them to maximize their profits while consumers suffer.
Rogers voted against the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, a law that tried to mitigate the effect of international fuel prices by incentivizing the production of renewable energy and more fuel-efficient vehicles. The American Petroleum Institute, the largest trade group for the oil and natural gas industry and a Rogers donor, lobbied against the law.
In 2008, Rogers voted against two bills aimed at lowering gas prices: the Consumer Energy Supply Act, which sought to open up oil reserves and increase fuel availability, and the Commodity Markets Transparency and Accountability Act, which would have cracked down on price manipulation by energy companies.
All of these votes occurred before the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision that radically increased how much cash could be donated and spent in federal elections.
Between 2024 and 2025, a super PAC supporting Rogers received $10 million in donations from Timothy Dunn, the billionaire CEO of the oil and gas exploration company CrownQuest Operating. Dunn also gave $6,600 directly to Rogers’ 2024 campaign.
In the same period, the Chevron Corporation and its affiliated PAC gave $200,000 to Rogers’ super PAC and $15,000 to his campaign. Rogers’ 2024 campaign also received donations from ConocoPhillips and Marathon Petroleum.
Rogers has been supportive of the current war in Iran, which is also driving up fuel prices.
Rogers’ Democratic opponent is physician Abdul El-Sayed. He criticized Rogers’ loyalty to his donors in an Aug. 5 press conference.
“Is he MAGA? Is he neocon?” El-Sayed mused. “Nah, man. He’s just a corporate sellout.”
