Former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers starts off the Michigan Senate general election race with a narrow advantage over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, according to a new Fox News poll, aided by an advantage with independents and making inroads with a small but significant number of Democrats willing to cross party lines.

Overall, Rogers leads El-Sayed among registered voters by four points, 51-47% — and is one of the only Republicans to hold a lead in the series of Fox News Senate battleground polls that have otherwise shown Democratic Senate candidates ahead of their GOP opponents.

The poll found Rogers’ advantage is sustained by holding onto more of his base than El-Sayed, while claiming a small edge with independents. Rogers wins 96% of Republican support, while El-Sayed support is at 91% among Democrats and is only polling at 69% with Democrats who don’t support the Democratic Socialists of America.

54% of Michigan voters surveyed said El-Sayed is too extreme for the state, while 51% of respondents said Rogers was too close to President Donald Trump. 

El-Sayed starts the general election with 54% of Michigan respondents viewing him unfavorably and a 41% minority viewing him favorably. That minus-13 net negative unfavorability is a notch worse than Rogers’ 45% favorable rating and 51% unfavorable rating (minus-6).

The pollsters also found that El-Sayed is underperforming with Black voters, women and suburbanites — all key constituencies in a midterm election. Rogers, however, is lagging among younger voters under 30 and independents compared to Trump’s 2024 showing in the state.

The poll surveyed 1,006 registered Michigan voters between Aug. 6-10, and has a 3% margin of error.