It’s well known that Michigan will be key to the presidential election in November. It seems like not a day goes by without a visit from a presidential or vice presidential nominee.

That’s not the only race that matters here in my state, however. Michigan holds one of the few open U.S. Senate seats this year, with longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow retiring. A Republican hasn’t won a Senate race in Michigan in three decades.

Former Congressman Mike Rogers, a Republican, is facing off against Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat. It’s one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, as Republicans seek to win back that chamber.

The Cook Political Report has rated Michigan’s race as one of only three toss-ups in this election.

It also promises to be an extremely expensive race, with tens of millions of dollars expected to be spent.

Rogers served seven terms in Congress, rising to chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He’s a former FBI agent, and he has spent time in the private sector after leaving Congress in 2015.

Now, he's ready to get back into politics.

I spoke with Rogers recently about the campaign and what he sees as the biggest issues facing Michigan – and the country. Our interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You know, good. I think at the end of the day, this is going be an economic race.

I met a woman the other day, with four kids, talking about what her challenges were. She broke down sobbing. She has to go to a food pantry the last four days of the month to feed her children. She’s never done that in her life. Both her and her husband work, but prices have just far exceeded their paychecks. They haven’t had a raise in a while and people are hurting, and they know that policies out of Washington, D.C., have made their........

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