Mike Rogers Plays The 'Walmart Wolverine' in Campaign Commercials
Mike Rogers Plays The 'Walmart Wolverine' in Campaign Commercials
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August 31, 2026, 9:18 AM by Allan Lengel
Featured_mike_rogers__60190
A Mike Rogers political ad.
After watching Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers' latest flurry of campaign commercials, you might assume his wife, Kristi, went to Michigan State University and he is an alum of the University of Michigan.
After all, his wife is wearing MSU gear in the ads, and Rogers is wearing a U-M hat or pullover shirt with the "M."
Thing is, Kristi did actually attend Michigan State, but Rogers earned his degree from Adrian College, not U-M, which makes him somewhat of a Walmart Wolverine â a fan who wears all the merch and roots for Michigan, but never attended the school. Both U-M and MSU are public schools. Adrian is a private liberal arts college.
"He's trying to take credit for something he's not," says pollster Ed Sarpolus, executive director of Target Insyght of Lansing. "He's trying to give the impression that he's connected to the state. Remember, he's got a home in Florida, he's been accused of being a carpetbagger. So he's trying to establish who he is, where his roots are, saying, 'Yeah, I'm from Michigan. I'm a U of M man.'"
To be fair, while attending Adrian College, he did participate in the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) courses through U-M because Adrian College did not offer that. But he received his criminal justice and sociology degree from Adrian College in 1985. Few would say he's a U-M man.
"Bottom line, he's trying to take credit where credit is not due. Adrian is a pretty darn good school."
The Rogers campaign did not respond to a request for comment that Deadline Detroit made through its page for media inquiries.
Interestingly, the person he's attacking in the ads, his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, earned a degree in biology and political science from the University of Michigan.
https://deadlinedetroit.com/articles/35017/mike_rogers_plays_the_walmart_wolverine_in_campaign_commercials
In one ad, which features him in a long-sleeve U-M pullover shirt and his wife in an MSU T-shirt, Rogers attacks El-Sayed about football. El-Sayed was captain of the football team at Bloomfield Hills Andover High School.
In the ad, Rogers talks about his father being a football coach and him playing football all through high school.
He says of El-Sayed:
"He says football is racist, sexist and dominated by toxic masculinity. So, let's get this straight, Abdul thinks football is bad but men playing women sports is good. That's just not who we are in Michigan. I'm Mike Rogers and I approve this message. Common sense versus crazy. That's Michigan's choice."
Go Blue?
Football isnât racist, and men donât belong in womenâs sports. Thats not the Michigan way. pic.twitter.com/0XfonIFP0o
â Mike Rogers (@MikeRogersForMI) August 29, 2026
Tweet
Share
August 31, 2026, 9:18 AM by Allan Lengel
Featured_mike_rogers__60190
A Mike Rogers political ad.
After watching Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers' latest flurry of campaign commercials, you might assume his wife, Kristi, went to Michigan State University and he is an alum of the University of Michigan.
After all, his wife is wearing MSU gear in the ads, and Rogers is wearing a U-M hat or pullover shirt with the "M."
Thing is, Kristi did actually attend Michigan State, but Rogers earned his degree from Adrian College, not U-M, which makes him somewhat of a Walmart Wolverine â a fan who wears all the merch and roots for Michigan, but never attended the school. Both U-M and MSU are public schools. Adrian is a private liberal arts college.
"He's trying to take credit for something he's not," says pollster Ed Sarpolus, executive director of Target Insyght of Lansing. "He's trying to give the impression that he's connected to the state. Remember, he's got a home in Florida, he's been accused of being a carpetbagger. So he's trying to establish who he is, where his roots are, saying, 'Yeah, I'm from Michigan. I'm a U of M man.'"
To be fair, while attending Adrian College, he did participate in the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) courses through U-M because Adrian College did not offer that. But he received his criminal justice and sociology degree from Adrian College in 1985. Few would say he's a U-M man.
"Bottom line, he's trying to take credit where credit is not due. Adrian is a pretty darn good school."
The Rogers campaign did not respond to a request for comment that Deadline Detroit made through its page for media inquiries.
Interestingly, the person he's attacking in the ads, his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, earned a degree in biology and political science from the University of Michigan.
https://deadlinedetroit.com/articles/35017/mike_rogers_plays_the_walmart_wolverine_in_campaign_commercials
In one ad, which features him in a long-sleeve U-M pullover shirt and his wife in an MSU T-shirt, Rogers attacks El-Sayed about football. El-Sayed was captain of the football team at Bloomfield Hills Andover High School.
In the ad, Rogers talks about his father being a football coach and him playing football all through high school.
He says of El-Sayed:
"He says football is racist, sexist and dominated by toxic masculinity. So, let's get this straight, Abdul thinks football is bad but men playing women sports is good. That's just not who we are in Michigan. I'm Mike Rogers and I approve this message. Common sense versus crazy. That's Michigan's choice."
Go Blue?
Football isnât racist, and men donât belong in womenâs sports. Thats not the Michigan way. pic.twitter.com/0XfonIFP0o
â Mike Rogers (@MikeRogersForMI) August 29, 2026
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- Mike Rogers Plays The 'Walmart Wolverine' in Campaign Commercials