Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed intensified his campaign in Michigan with a new advertising offensive on Tuesday, focusing on his Republican opponent Mike Rogers’ legislative record regarding government surveillance. The initiative targets a growing voter sentiment around privacy that has become a defining technology issue in this election cycle.
The campaign released a digital video and plans to display billboards bearing the slogan “Mike Rogers Is Watching You” across parts of the state. The ads aim to connect bipartisan voter anxieties—recently heightened by controversies surrounding Flock Safety camera systems—to Rogers’ time in Congress.
El-Sayed’s video highlights Rogers’ past support for the Patriot Act of 2001, which granted law enforcement broader powers and permitted the warrantless collection of Americans’ telephone records following the September 11 attacks. The advertisement frequently cites a 2013 quote from Rogers, who then chaired the House intelligence committee: “You can’t have your privacy violated if you don’t know your privacy is violated.”
Additional footage in the ad features Rogers praising surveillance capabilities provided by major technology firms like Google. The campaign also points to a 2011 bill introduced by Rogers that would have permitted companies to share email data with the National Security Agency, although a 2014 effort by Rogers to end the bulk collection of metadata never reached a floor vote.
This push comes as the Cook Political Report rates the Michigan Senate race as a tossup. El-Sayed is leveraging public skepticism toward law enforcement surveillance tools, such as Flock cameras, which police departments argue reduce crime but have faced backlash due to incidents of officer misconduct and misidentification of suspects.
Rogers’ campaign has previously addressed the issue, with a spokesperson noting the rising political weight of the Flock camera debate in midterm elections.
Mike Rogers probably laughs at this. He spent years in Congress building those very surveillance networks you’re complaining about now.
Flock Safety cameras are already causing issues in my neighborhood. It’s frustrating to see how quickly surveillance tech gets accepted without proper oversight.
I didn’t realize Rogers pushed for companies to share email data with the NSA. That seems like a huge overreach even by today’s standards.
Is this tactic going to work? Rogers was on the intel committee, so most voters probably think that makes him an expert on security, not a spy master.
That quote about not knowing your privacy is violated is honestly chilling. Glad someone is pointing this out in the ads.