<\/p>\n
Astronomical fuel prices<\/span> driven ever-higher by the U.S.\u2013Israel war in Iran might be hitting Mike Rogers, too.<\/p>\n The Republican candidate for Senate in Michigan spent more than $40,000 to cover a single private jet bill last month, according to campaign finance records reviewed by The Intercept. The five-figure ticket was part of over $100,000 worth of campaign cash Rogers spent on luxury travel last quarter, most of it on private jet trips.<\/p>\n As economic woes<\/a> shape the Michigan Senate race, Roger\u2019s opponent, Democratic candidate and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed, has attacked the Republican repeatedly for his ties to corporations and billionaire donors. Rogers, who represented Michigan\u2019s 8th District in the House from 2001 to 2015, regularly advocated in Congress to let lawmakers receive gifts and other benefits from restricted nonprofit groups. He helped defeat<\/a> a 2006 bill that would have cracked down on former congressional members\u2019 lobbying activities and banned certain privately funded trips.<\/p>\n For Jeffrey Hauser, a critic of corporate political influence, Rogers\u2019s newly revealed campaign spending on luxury services might spell a warning to Michigan voters feeling the crunch of a struggling economy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems like Mike Rogers has developed a real taste for the finer things,\u201d said Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project, which is not backing any candidate in the Michigan race. \u201cThat means he is likely to want to continue to court, and be courted by, the economic elite, which portends badly for working class Michiganders who prefer their Senator have some understanding of their lives and identification with their interests.\u201d<\/p>\n In September, the Rogers campaign paid $93,152 to JL Jets for at least five separate private charter flights, including the $40,000 transaction. Around the same time, the campaign also dropped another $500 on the luxury chauffeur company Blacklane. From July to September, Rogers\u2019s campaign paid an additional $4,527 to Blacklane for luxury car services, including a $2,078 chauffeur expense on August 17. The campaign spent $683 on a pair of limo rides in August and September.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Campaigning requires a lot of travel, and El-Sayed\u2019s campaign finance records show higher total travel costs\u00a0\u2014 roughly $330,000 last quarter, according to public filings. But those funds went toward commercial flights on Delta and American airlines, Hertz car rentals, gas, Uber and Lyft rides, and hotel accommodations.<\/p>\n El-Sayed had a busier campaign calendar with a competitive Democratic primary<\/a> against Rep. Haley Stevens,\u00a0while Rogers was the presumed Republican nominee since the early days of the race. El-Sayed\u2019s campaign said he did more than 500 events ahead of the August primary, and Rogers has carried a more relaxed<\/a> schedule into the general election cycle.<\/p>\n In a statement to The Intercept, a spokesperson for Rogers pointed to El-Sayed\u2019s spending<\/a> on meals and travel on the campaign trail as well as a series of high-dollar contributions<\/a> his father-in-law made to a super PAC backing the campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cAbdul El-Sayed reimbursed himself $90K, and his father-in-law, a senior advisor of CAIR, gave his SuperPAC $300K,\u201d said Rogers campaign spokesperson Abby Ronson. \u201cIf the Intercept is looking for an FEC story, I\u2019d take a long hard look at Abdul.\u201d The El-Sayed campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n If elected, Rogers wouldn\u2019t be the only U.S. senator to spend big on private jets. He would appear to compete with top spenders. As public scrutiny has driven politicians away from<\/a> chartered flights, only Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., spent more on private flights than Rogers did last quarter, Axios reported<\/a> \u2014 and they spent it over the course of a year and a half.<\/p>\n The Rogers campaign did book some flights with airlines like Frontier and Southwest, spending about $29,000 on 10 flights, but luxury transportation accounted for the vast majority of the campaign\u2019s travel expenses last quarter. <\/p>\n Among Rogers\u2019s hotel spending was a $2,000 stay at The Breakers, a luxury oceanfront hotel in Palm Beach, Florida; another $1,295 at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Michigan; and $200 at the five-star Palazzo at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. In addition to travel costs, the campaign paid $2,165 to its deputy campaign manager Tyler Henningsen in late September for car repairs at a BMW dealership in Bloomfield Hills, one of Michigan\u2019s most affluent areas. Henningsen did not immediately respond to The Intercept\u2019s request for comment, but the Rogers spokesperson said the car was used for campaign purposes.<\/p>\n Luxury transportation accounted for the vast majority of the Rogers campaign\u2019s travel expenses last quarter.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Campaign finance rules<\/a> state that spending on travel and vehicle costs is allowed, as long it\u2019s strictly for campaign purposes. It is generally illegal to use campaign funds for personal travel; if a person uses campaign funds for mixed personal and campaign travel, they have to reimburse the campaign within 30 days. If the campaign pays for a car, that car can only be used for campaigning.<\/p>\n Rogers holds significant personal investments in the real estate<\/a>, artificial intelligence<\/a>, and cybersecurity<\/a> industries. His Senate campaign has received significant backing from corporate figureheads such as billionaires, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan<\/a>, the DeVos family, and Elon Musk, who through his super PAC, America PAC, has poured into the race more than $6 million since Rogers promised to \u201cshield<\/a>\u201d the world\u2019s richest man from congressional oversight.<\/p>\n On the debate stage, El-Sayed has targeted Rogers\u2019s home in Florida and his two \u201cyachts,\u201d attempting to paint the former congressman as out-of-touch from everyday, working Michiganders. Public records show Rogers owned two boats measuring 32 and 39 feet in Maryland, though he reportedly sold<\/a> one of them. Rogers is attempting to sell his Florida home and is living full-time in Michigan, according to news outlet Bridge Michigan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n