On Friday morning, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) declared on WJR Radio that he will not seek reelection in November and instead will host a conservative talk radio show. The Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has already inked a deal with Cumulus, which will syndicate his show. Rogers is in his seventh term in office and wasn’t looking at a tough race this year. He won in 2012 by 21 points, despite Mitt Romney only carrying the district by 3 points.
Below is Rogers’ full statement stating he will not seek reelection:
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It has been an honor to serve the people of Michigan’s Eighth Congressional District over the last 14 years. We have accomplished so much together, and I am most proud of our work to turn the House Intelligence Committee into a true legislative and oversight body.
But I have always believed in our founder’s idea of a citizen legislature. I had a career before politics and always planned to have one after. The genius of our institutions is they are not dependent on the individual temporary occupants privileged to serve. That is why I have decided not to seek re- election to Congress in 2014.
As I close this chapter in my life, I am excited to begin a new one that allows me to continue serving as a voice for American exceptionalism and support a strong national security policy agenda.
It seems likely that Rogers’ got swayed by both the notoriety and money that comes with conservative talk radio. Rogers got a taste of fame this past year. He was a key figure in the Benghazi fever that swept over Washington in 2013 due to his position as Chairman. Therefore, he made the most Sunday show appearances in 2013, even more than John McCain. Besides the Sunday show appearances, he was interviewed numerous times by cable news networks and radio shows.
With the Benghazi investigations finally dwindling down, especially now that the Pentagon berated Congress for wasting millions of dollars on them, Rogers isn’t as sought out anymore by the news shows. He’s already felt the bright lights and he sees his chance at being a ‘name’ fading away. Therefore, best to try to follow in the steps of Mike Huckabee and enter into the conservative entertainment business. Instead of attempting to serve the people while in public office, Rogers would rather just serve himself by slinging out some Obama hate like Limbaugh or Sean Hannity.
Justin Baragona is the Managing Editor at Politicus Sports as well as Senior Editor at PoliticusUSA. He was a political writer for 411Mania.com before joining PoliticusUSA. Politically, Justin considers himself a liberal but also a realist and pragmatist. Currently, Justin lives in St. Louis, MO and is married. Besides writing, he also runs his own business after spending a number of years in the corporate world. You can follow Justin on Twitter either with his personal handle (@justinbaragona) or the Sports site’s (@PoliticusSports).
