Orthodox Christian • Hayekian individualist • libertarian-republican • constitutional conservative • classical liberal • member of Congress, 2011–2021
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Joined January 2011
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Follow the Constitution.
Read the bills.
Stop governing by emergency.
End the forever war.
Cut taxes & spending.
Stop borrowing trillions.
No CBDC.
Protect free speech.
Repeal the Patriot Act & FISA 702.
No qualified immunity for government officials.
End civil asset forfeiture.
Hegseth may end up as the fall guy anyway, but if not, impeach and remove.
Congress shouldn't be afraid to remove the secretary of defense for his many war crimes and misdemeanors reason.com/2026/11/04/impeac…
Here are the numbers from Kent, which is one of the most populous counties in Michigan.
The results are clear and the opposite of the conventional narrative.
People did split their tickets, but they did so to vote AGAINST Mike Rogers. El-Sayed beat the straight-ticket margin.
Never has so much money been spent to bolster a candidate, Mike Rogers, who had zero chance of winning—something that was always clear to anyone who studies and understands Michigan politics.
As I explained, polls are like weather forecasts: they systematically understate the incoming swing. Nobody should be surprised when the result is more extreme than predicted.
Trump has spent a decade purging conservatism—constitutional, economic, and even social (in the deepest sense of humility and respect for others)—from the Republican Party.
We should take solace in this absolute defeat because it’s a real chance to rebuild American conservatism.
“I ain’t reading all that” was what my Republican colleagues in Congress would say before voting yes on a massive spending bill.
It goes without saying that I have major disagreements with both Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed, and neither one particularly likes me.
Rogers and I regularly battled in the U.S. House. I’m a staunch defender of liberty and the Constitution, and he’s a champion of big weaponized government, mass surveillance, and endless wars. He tried (and failed) to oust me from Congress.
When I was considering a presidential run in 2020, El-Sayed wrote a gratuitous op-ed to warn people that “Justin Amash is no hero,” calling my principles “heartless” and finishing with the reminder: “Your enemy’s enemy is not your friend.”
In short, I have no soft spot for either of these guys.
I also don’t vote for “the lesser of two evils.”
I believe you should support a candidate only if you truly want the person to hold that office.
I’ve already voted, and consistent with the above principle, I didn’t vote for Rogers or El-Sayed.
But I do know which one would be more dangerous in the U.S. Senate—and it’s not even close.
Thread ⬇️
To understand my perspective, consider the following:
Congress is a rigid and inertia-bound institution, especially the Senate. The specific desires of any single rank-and-file member account for almost nothing.
Only rarely does an issue arise on which one member’s vote will be decisive. Those issues are typically ones that don’t settle cleanly along party lines.
The best examples are issues like war powers, surveillance, privacy, the freedom of speech, criminal justice, and government oversight and accountability.
There’s nothing “gutsy” about endorsing someone you told everyone you were working to defeat up to just a day ago.
Nothing about either candidate has changed. El-Sayed is not worse—and Rogers is not better—than a week ago, a month ago, or a year ago.
It’s either a long con, an intemperate decision, or a disconnect from reality.
Mike Rogers is what you get if you take Lindsey Graham but make him even more enthusiastic about huge spending bills, the military-industrial complex, and the surveillance state.
When Obama’s NSA and FBI were caught unlawfully spying on Americans everywhere, I led the charge to shut down their unconstitutional program.
Mike Rogers led the charge to excuse and defend the government’s actions and to enshrine Patriot Act and FISA abuses in law.
He then worked (and failed) to oust me from Congress because, as an ardent defender of the Constitution, I was constantly standing in his way.
During his time in Congress, no member acted with such unbridled hostility to the Bill of Rights as Mike Rogers. In these midterms, there can be no greater win for the American people than to keep him out of the U.S. Senate.
Mike Rogers is one of the chief architects of the modern surveillance state and a champion of the forever war.
Privacy and war are two of the very few issues on which a member of Congress can make a difference with a marginal, decisive vote.
Michigan, let’s make sure Rogers gets nowhere near the U.S. Senate.
May his memory be eternal.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:
Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund
alzresearch.org/giving/
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources
alzfdn.org/donate/
Photo Credit: Tommy Garcia
.@SirPatStew was one of the most brilliant actors of his generation, and his performances as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation had a real and substantial impact on my life. He will live on in the millions of fans whose lives he affected.