John Kennedy went on Meet the Press and told America he might run for president in 2028.
Then he showed up in Michigan swearing the only reason he was there was Mike Rogers.
What Kennedy said when those reporters cornered him on 2028 is the most Kennedy answer he has ever given.
Kennedy Stumps for Mike Rogers in Michigan and Takes No Prisoners
The Louisiana senator rolled into Sterling Heights alongside Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers, stopping outside a metal finishing plant that Rogers says is benefiting from Trump's reshoring agenda.
Kennedy told reporters that Rogers "pisses excellence."
He described Rogers as "temperate" – the kind of man who "doesn't swing at every pitch" – but added that Michigan voters have seen a different side when the state's interests are on the line.
"I've seen Mike's fangs," Kennedy said.
Kennedy called El-Sayed a product of the "Hamas wing" of the Democratic Party. He wasn't wrong.
El-Sayed used the second anniversary of the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians to raise money – spending the email attacking Israel without once acknowledging who started the war.
He campaigned alongside Hasan Piker – a Twitch streamer who told his audience America deserved 9/11 and dismissed claims that Hamas atrocities against Israeli civilians on October 7th.
NRSC Chairman Tim Scott called El-Sayed "the most radical Democrat Senate nominee ever."
Kennedy addressed the debate Rogers and El-Sayed had Thursday in Grand Rapids – where the two traded jabs over Iran, gas prices, and tariffs in a session that turned personal.
"I'm not going to pretend that Republicans are perfect," Kennedy said. "But the other side's crazy, folks. And Mike's opponent is symbolic of that."
Rogers vs El-Sayed Is the Highest Profile Michigan Senate Race in Decades
Rogers enters November in a race that every major poll shows within striking distance.
A Fox News poll has El-Sayed ahead by a single point – 50 to 49 among likely voters – well inside the margin of error.
Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority right now, and Michigan is one of the seats that determines whether that margin grows or shrinks.
El-Sayed barely survived his own primary – winning 48.5% to Haley Stevens' 47.5%.
Rogers is a former FBI special agent with Trump's endorsement, Senate Majority Leader John Thune's endorsement, and now Kennedy delivering factory-floor comedy on his behalf in suburban Detroit.
An FBI veteran with Trump's full backing against a Hamas wing radical backed by AOC, Bernie Sanders, and a streamer who said America deserved 9/11.
Jewish Michigan Democrats said before the primary they would vote Republican if El-Sayed won the nomination – and he did.
The last time a Republican won a Michigan Senate race was 1994.
Rogers has a real shot at ending that drought, and the Democrats handed him the perfect opponent to do it.
John Kennedy 2028 Presidential Run and the Goober He Cannot Define
Kennedy dodged every 2028 question in Michigan after he suggested he could throw his hat in the ring on Meet the Press.
He had one answer: "I'm here for Mike Rogers."
But reporters who follow Kennedy know what Iowa in September, New Hampshire, Ohio, Alaska, Kansas, and now Michigan all add up to.
He is running a 50-state audition while insisting he is doing nothing of the kind.
Kennedy had sat down with NBC's Kristen Welker on Meet the Press and opened the door – saying he would consider a 2028 presidential run if a "bunch of goobers" entered the field and he thought he could do a better job.
When Michigan reporters pressed him to define "goober," Kennedy reached for an unexpected reference.
"It's hard to define, but you know it when you see it," he said.
That line belongs to Justice Potter Stewart – who used it in a 1964 Supreme Court case about obscenity.
Kennedy didn't name names – and didn't have to.
Kennedy said he flew to Michigan for one reason.
Michigan voters will decide November 3rd whether Mike Rogers ends a 32-year Republican drought in Michigan
Sources:
- Susan Ferrechio, "Sen. John Kennedy stumps for Mike Rogers in Michigan, boasts Senate contender," Washington Times, October 9, 2026.
- "Fox News Poll: Michigan voters split between El-Sayed and Rogers," Fox News, September 30, 2026.
- Hugh Hewitt, "Morning Glory: Rogers versus El-Sayed is a referendum on the future of America," Fox News, August 5, 2026.
- "ICYMI: Chairman Gruters Discusses High Stakes of Michigan Senate Race," Republican National Committee, August 6, 2026.
- Amy Curtis, "NRSC: El-Sayed Is the Most Radical Democrat Senate Nominee Ever," Townhall, August 5, 2026.
- "Sen. John Kennedy's possible presidential run depends on 'a bunch of goobers,'" Louisiana Illuminator, October 4, 2026.