Lansing - About 150 supporters of U.S. Rep Mike Rogers- mostly MSU students - boarded three buses Saturday morning for a mission to Indiana.
The congressman and his entourage endured a three-hour trek to support U.S. House hopeful Chris Chocola, a Republican vying for a seat in Elkhart. Chocola previously lived in Williamston.
Although the buses left at 8 a.m., the riders were ready to go and didn’t hide who they were supporting in their district by becoming human Rogers’ billboards, plastered with “Rogers for Congress” stickers.
“We want to keep the Republican majority in the House of Representatives,” general business administration and pre-law sophomore Alex Hart said. Rogers, R-Brighton, will face Frank McAlpine, a Democrat, in the Nov. 5 election.
Dario Medrano, a retired General Motors Corp. employee from Lansing, said he awoke early to support Rogers.
“I don’t know anything about the Republican party or politics,” he said. “But I know (Rogers) as a good man.
“Everything that happens in Washington trickles down to us - the common citizen.”
There are 223 Republicans and 210 Democrats in Congress, and students say that is reason enough to make the trip to Indiana. Democrats are eager to close that gap, possibly taking control of the lawmaking branch in November.
“This is such a critical seat,” James Gallagher, a political science and pre-law freshman said while preparing to go door-to-door in Indiana. “If the Republicans lose this, they lose the majority.”
Gallagher said it’s important to keep the GOP majority in the House “to ensure we continue our war against terrorism in the way the Bush administration intended it.”
Munching on a bagel, Rogers said the race is important because the party controlling Congress will weigh heavily in deciding the nation’s approach to foreign policy, especially in Iraq.
On Thursday, the United States and the United Kingdom launched an air strike on Iraq against air defense targets in “no-fly” zones in northern and southern Iraq. Iraq doesn’t recognize the zones.
But Rogers said it’s not the start of a full-blown assault.
“Every three days there are air strikes of some sort,” he said. “But now everyone is paying so much attention to Iraq.”
Rogers seemed enthusiastic and confident about his party’s chances at maintaining a House majority, saying he remembered how close his race was and decided he could do something for Chocola.
Rogers beat state Sen. Dianne Byrum, D-Onondaga, by 111 votes in 2000 to win his seat.
“I guarantee you, I’ll win by more than 111 votes - maybe 117,” Rogers said.
“The most important endorsement a candidate gets is an individual person standing up and saying, ‘I support Mike Rogers.’”
