'Pretty damn significant': Slotkin suffers blow in Michigan as farm bureau jilts Dems to endorse GOP candidate

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., was dealt a blow in the Michigan Senate race this week when the Michigan Farm Bureau’s AgriPac endorsed her Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers, potentially upending the already close race.

In the latest slate of endorsements, the industry group revealed its support for Rogers, diverging from AgriPac's recent history of endorsing the Democrat candidate for that Senate seat. The group has not endorsed a Republican candidate for the Senate seat since 2006, backing outgoing Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in her re-election campaigns in 2012 and 2018.

"I'm honored and grateful to have earned the endorsement of AgriPac and the farmers across Michigan who feed our nation and power Michigan's economy," Rogers said in a statement.

"Michigan farmers are struggling mightily under the current administration with rising input costs and burdensome government regulations, and now for the first time in American history we are importing more food than we export. As Michigan's Senator, our farmers know I'll always have their back, and I'll fight to lower costs, slash needless regulations, and pass the Farm Bill, so farmers can thrive and leave a lasting legacy for the next generation to succeed and feed the world," he wrote.

The group has palpable influence in Michigan, given that agriculture is one of the state's top three industries, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Farming in the state contributes "over $100 billion annually to the state's economy," per the department. It further employs nearly a million people, or 22% of Michigan's employment.

Michigan Republican strategist Jason Roe told Fox News Digital that the endorsement is "pretty damn significant."

"Slotkin serves on the House Agriculture Committee and her patron, Debbie Stabenow, is chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. I imagine they are both pretty p---ed about that decision," he said. 

Stabenow has backed Slotkin and had been encouraging the farm bureau to also support the congresswoman as her successor.

Stabenow had a record of receiving the group's backing. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images/File)

Stabenow told Fox News Digital, "That was very disappointing," in response to the endorsement. 

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Gary Peters, D-Mich., dismissed the group's decision, telling reporters at a Christian Science Monitor Breakfast on Tuesday, "The Farm Bureau always endorses – they always endorse the Republican. The only exception has been Debbie Stabenow because she's chair of [the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry]."

"She's the only one," he said. "Otherwise, basically, they're an extension of the Republican Party."

Rogers pushed back at Peters' claim, pointing out that the organization has backed 14 Democrats across the state this cycle alone, including in the House of Representatives.

Slotkin's campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.

Peters said the group was an extension of the GOP. (Reuters/Mike Segar/File)

According to Rogers, "I think their conclusion to endorse us sends a very clear message, not just to the [agriculture] community but the rest of the business community in Michigan."

As for Peters' claim likening the group to the Republican Party, Rogers said in an interview with Fox News Digital, "You just insulted the second-largest industry in the state. They have a very thoughtful process, and it tells me he hasn't visited very many farms recently."

Such a remark could even hurt Peters if he seeks re-election in 2026, according to Roe.

The race between Slotkin and Rogers has been quickly tightening as the election approaches. New surveys have shown the Republican within reach of Slotkin, though she still has a lead. According to the latest Marist poll, the Democrat beat Rogers by six percentage points among registered voters, 51% to 45%.

The Michigan Farm Bureau's AgriPac endorsed Rogers for Senate. (Getty/File)

The stakes have been raised in the race, which has surprised some with its level of competitiveness. It is one of only two "toss up" Senate elections, according to top political handicapper the Cook Political Report, alongside the matchup in Ohio. It was previously considered to "lean Democrat" before being shifted in the summer.

Despite Slotkin's current lead in the polls, Rogers is confident that this particular endorsement will make a difference.

"What it does is it makes people take note," he said.

He pointed out the plethora of negative ads being run against him but said, "I will tell you one thing about farmers … they know exactly where the bear does its business in the woods; it's an old expression my dad used to say."

The former representative said farmers "don't care about the ads. They don't care about the misinformation."

Rogers said the farming community is instead more concerned with the candidates who met with them and their county boards to discuss agricultural solutions.

He also said the AgriPac endorsement wasn't just a crucial win among farmers but also independent voters, who are some of the few who remain undecided.