Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers is launching a campaign video series aimed at highlighting everyday work and the rising cost of living, an issue expected to dominate the 2026 midterm elections.
The series, titled “Let’s Get to Work!”, debuted Monday with its first episode filmed at a family-run dairy farm in western Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The Rogers campaign says the series is inspired by the Discovery Channel show “Dirty Jobs,” and is designed to showcase the experiences of working Michiganders while promoting Republican-backed tax policies.
In the first video, Rogers visits Green Pastures Farms in Coopersville, Michigan, where he meets farm owners Jesse and Betsy Meerman. Their family has operated the farm since the 1880s, but they say federal estate taxes — commonly called the “death tax” — have created challenges for passing the farm down to the next generation.
“It’s not easy to send the farm over to the next generation,” Jesse Meerman says in the video. “So, really, what Uncle Sam has done is said, ‘My condolences on the death of your father… pay me $5 million cash now.’”
Rogers responds by arguing that family farms should be protected from those taxes.
“I happen to believe we shouldn’t have that anyway, specifically on agriculture,” Rogers says in the video. “We want that to be perpetuated in families.”
He also highlights the Working Families Tax Cut Act, also known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which was signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025. According to Rogers, the law raised the exemption level for the federal estate tax, making it easier for families to pass down property.
In a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation, Rogers criticized Democratic leadership in Michigan.
“Michigan has had two Democrat senators who’ve done nothing but fail our state,” Rogers said. “Democrats have made life so much more unaffordable, from skyrocketing Michiganders’ prices with record high inflation to making it too expensive for families to get into homes.”
Rogers served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2015 and currently has the endorsement of President Trump. He faces little serious opposition in the Republican primary.
The race is expected to be highly competitive. Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring, creating an open seat that the Cook Political Report currently rates as a “toss-up.” Republicans view the seat as one of their best opportunities to flip a Senate seat in 2026.
I’m kicking off the first stop of my Let’s Get To Work tour at Green Pastures Farm in Coopersville — hearing directly from the family who has been here for generations.
These folks work hard every day to feed our communities and keep our economy strong. It’s time Washington had… pic.twitter.com/Ez0Ebni2aB
— Mike Rogers (@MikeRogersForMI) March 9, 2026
The White House has promoted the economic impact of the OBBBA, claiming a typical Michigan family with two children could see an increase in take-home pay of roughly $7,000 to $9,900 due to tax benefits included in the legislation.
Affordability and cost-of-living issues are expected to play a major role in the midterms. Several Democratic victories in 2025 elections, including those of Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, were partly driven by promises to address rising living costs.
Rogers’ video also includes lighter moments meant to emphasize the hands-on theme of the series. While helping with chores at the farm, he feeds livestock, collects eggs, and interacts with the Meerman family’s children.
At one point, their young son hands Rogers a jug of fresh milk and tells him, “Shake it up.”
“Shake it up,” Rogers replies while shaking the jug. “It’s kind of like a martini — only different.”
Future episodes of “Let’s Get to Work!” will feature Rogers visiting additional workplaces across Michigan, including diners and manufacturing facilities, as the campaign seeks to connect with voters on economic issues.
