Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers has been telling Michigan voters for two years that he worked on an automotive assembly line building Chrysler convertibles. The United Auto Workers claims that Rogers exaggerated what he actually did, reporting published Thursday by Michigan Advance.
Rogers worked at Cars & Concepts in Brighton from 1981 to 1982 while attending Adrian College, his campaign confirmed. The company, founded by former Rep. Dick Chrysler, took vehicles off Chrysler assembly lines and turned them into convertibles with removable sunroofs. It was an auto aftermarket business and not one of the Big Three automakers plants. The campaign wouldn't confirm what Rogers did working as a line mixer at Thermofil in Fowlerville, when asked three times.
A Stellantis historian told the Advance that LeBaron production in Michigan ceased at the Hamtramck plant in 1981. The Sebring that Rogers mentioned in several statements did not exist until 1995 and by then Rogers was serving in the state Senate.
Art Reyes II, former president of UAW Local 651, compared Rogers' claims to stolen valor from the auto industry. Rogers didn't mention working on a factory when the union lobbied for him in the early 2000s, Reyes said.
Rogers' campaign disputed the claims. Communications director Alyssa Brouillet said Rogers drilled A-pillars and riveted panels on moving LeBarons. She called the union's stance an insult to workers at small third-party manufacturers. She noted that the UAW endorsed Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed in June.
The claims date back to a Trump rally in September and have appeared in ads, interviews and a July 2026 spot featuring Rogers' wife, Kristi.
Ben Solis, Michigan Advance. Read the full story at michiganadvance.com.
