FIRST ON FOX: The Republican Senate candidate in Michigan, former Rep. Mike Rogers, addressed what promises to be a top concern of many voters in November in a new campaign ad, making his position clear.
"I know that a decision about a pregnancy is one of the most difficult and personal decisions a woman will make," Rogers said in a new ad, appearing seated alongside his wife, Kristi Rogers, who held his hand.
"Michigan voters have already decided the issue, and I respect that decision," he explained, referencing the 2022 election, in which Michigan voters chose to enact Proposal 3, an abortion rights amendment that enshrined the "fundamental right to reproductive freedom" into law.
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The amendment also protected rights to contraception and treatments for infertility.
"In the Senate, I won't do anything to change it," he promised in the 15-second digital campaign ad.
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A source familiar told Fox News Digital the ad is meant to combat purported misinformation from the campaign of Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., on Rogers' stance.
They will continue to address this as necessary with campaign expenditures, the source added.
The video comes the same day as Slotkin rolled out two abortion-related ads against Rogers as part of a multimillion-dollar buy running on broadcast, cable and digital platforms.
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One ad slams Rogers for his espoused support for restrictions on abortion in 1994. At the time, he told the Lansing State Journal, "I support all restrictions on abortions, since I consider it intentional taking of life. I would further support legislation restricting abortions done for choosing the sex of a baby."
She also took aim at the Republican for reportedly expressing support in a questionnaire supposedly two decades ago for policy such as a "human life amendment," establishing that babies are considered a life once they are conceived.
Slotkin's second ad features a woman named Sarah, describing having several miscarriages and an issue with her fifth pregnancy that she said required an abortion. "I'm scared that Mike Rogers will continue to take away my rights," she said.
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However, Rogers has pushed back at suggestions that these instances would define his actions in the Senate, doing so once again in the Wednesday video. In fact, Rogers has committed consistently since launching his Senate campaign last year to abiding by the Michigan abortion law and not supporting federal legislation that would contradict it. He has further gotten behind former President Trump's stance that abortion should be left to the states.
In Michigan, abortion was the third most cited as a top issue for voters in a July Fox News Poll. The top issue for the most voters by far was the economy, with 35% saying so. This was followed by immigration at 17% and abortion at 16%.
According to a CNN poll released this month, Slotkin leads Rogers 47% to 41%. A previous AARP-commissioned poll of the race last month showed Rogers tied with her among the key demographic of voters over 50 years old, with each posting 46%. Among all voters, Slotkin slightly led her opponent, 47% to 44%.
A top political handicapper, the Cook Political Report, rated the Michigan Senate race a "toss up," despite the seat's lengthy history of going Democrat.
