Scoop: Mike Rogers-AIPAC rupture roils Michigan Senate race

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Mike Rogers. Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Sarah Rice/Getty Images
Allies of Mike Rogers, Michigan's GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate, have asked AIPAC not to advertise on his behalf, triggering a rupture with the powerful but polarizing pro-Israel group.
Why it matters: The extraordinary tension underscores how far AIPAC's political standing has fallen amid voters' anger over the war in Gaza. Even Rogers — a staunchly pro-Israel Republican — fears the group's public support could be a liability in the Nov. 3 election.
Driving the news: The move by Rogers' team angered AIPAC officials, who had spent more than $30 million to try to defeat El-Sayed in the Democratic primary and prepared to spend millions more to help elect Rogers, according to people familiar with the conversations.
Zoom out: El-Sayed made AIPAC a centerpiece of his successful primary campaign, using the group's spending against him to portray Democratic opponent Haley Stevens as beholden to the pro-Israel lobby.
Behind the scenes: Rogers' team warned AIPAC before the Aug. 4 Democratic primary that it believed El-Sayed would beat Stevens, though AIPAC held out hope Stevens would prevail. The two sides agreed to keep talking.
Rogers' allies urged AIPAC to get involved without putting the group's name front and center, people familiar with the talks told Axios.
State of play: Direct talks between Rogers' team and AIPAC have now gone cold, prompting a broader GOP effort to broker peace. Jewish Republican donors with ties to both sides are acting as intermediaries, people familiar with the discussions said.
The big picture: AIPAC has suffered a string of high-profile defeats in Democratic primaries. The group's latest setback was Tuesday, when a candidate it opposed won a special election for a Northern California House seat.
Reality check: El-Sayed's attacks on AIPAC may have less potency in the November general election than they did in the Democratic primary, where voters were more likely to be critical of Israel.
What they're saying: "I welcome any and all support from the pro-Israel community and I'm proud to have their involvement," Rogers told Axios.

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