I'm Mike Rogers. This is why I want Michigan's vote for Senate

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When my wife Kristi and I decided to enter this race over a year and a half ago, we knew that the stakes in this election were high. The Michigan we both grew up in — our home — was barely recognizable. Our state’s education ranking is now 45th in the nation. We have the highest utility rates in the Midwest. The next generation of Michiganders is being pushed out of our state as housing costs skyrocket and job opportunities move elsewhere.

We knew that Michigan needed a United States senator who was going to champion working families and get our state back on track. That is why we got into this fight to begin with: to lower housing costs, get our kids reading again, and bring manufacturing jobs back to our state. It has always been about serving Michigan and putting our state first. That promise to fight for YOU has not changed.

But after the Democratic primary election on Aug. 4, something did change. Our race became a fight for the very soul of our state and country. There has never been more on the line.

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Costs are incredibly high for Michiganders, and my Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed’s extreme Green New Deal policies would burden hardworking families even more. His gas-powered car ban would put auto manufacturing workers out of a job. The energy policies El-Sayed has supported could drive utility and gasoline costs even higher for Michigan families.

El-Sayed’s "Medicare for All" plan would also raise costs even more — all while forcing you to give up your doctor and quality, timely healthcare. Just take his own words for it. He’s admitted for years that his plan would "give other people what you have and make yours more expensive." He previously said Medicare for All "does away with the private insurance market," although he now says employer- and union-provided supplemental coverage could remain. He may be lying to you now, but his record on these issues is crystal clear. Michiganders cannot afford Abdul El-Sayed.

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But more importantly, our values are on the line in this election. Not only can Michiganders not afford Abdul El-Sayed, they cannot trust his ideology.

As a former Army officer and FBI street agent, I would never have imagined that I would be running against someone who associates with terrorist sympathizers. El-Sayed has invited someone to our state who openly proclaims, "America deserved 9/11." He took donations from individuals linked to terrorist organizations. After the Hezbollah-inspired attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, in March, El-Sayed seemed to sympathize with the attacker, saying, "hurt people hurt people." Asked whether Iran or Israel poses the greater threat to America, El-Sayed said both countries have "proven dangerous in their own way." Yet Iran is a country whose leaders chant "Death to America" and that wants to eliminate our ally Israel. I proudly served our great country and fought so that El-Sayed and every American can pray as they want to. But his words and his actions reflect an ideology we cannot allow in the United States Senate.

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That is why your vote matters so much in this election. It will take each of us to save our state.

Let this campaign serve as an example of my commitment to do that. Over the past several months, I have traveled across this beautiful state to meet with Michiganders. I have visited communities that Republican candidates have not visited in decades — because I want to be a senator for all of Michigan. I have not been focused on garnering social media views like El-Sayed, because I am more concerned about listening to you and hearing about the issues you face. I have not been focused on building a movement like El-Sayed either. I am focused on delivering real solutions for you, not slogans for television.

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Abdul El-Sayed is focused on the West Bank; I am focused on West Michigan. Abdul is focused on Hebron; I am focused on the Huron Valley. Abdul is focused on the Jordan River; I am focused on Downriver. Abdul El-Sayed wants to represent Palestine; I want to represent Michigan.

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The choice could not be clearer.

Mike Rogers is former FBI special agent, and U.S. Army officer who served as a Republican U.S. Representative for Michigan's 8th congressional district from 2001 to 2015. During his time in Congress, he chaired the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He is currently the Republican nominee in Michigan's U.S. Senate election.