Detroit City Councilmember Denzel McCampbell spoke during a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, criticizing former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers’ record on education during his time in the state Legislature. The group, which advocates for Black voters to elect Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed over Rogers, said Rogers has a record dating back to the 1990s of demeaning Black voters and depriving them of real representation.
State Rep. Tonya Myers Phillips (D-Detroit) and Detroit City Councilmember Denzel McCampbell, along with leaders of AFT Michigan, Detroit Action, and the Detroit Federation of Teachers, held the news conference in Detroit on Tuesday morning. Each said that Rogers has a record of suppressing Black voting power in the city and across Michigan.
Terrence Martin, president of AFT Michigan, said, “I know what students, families, and educators need. They need safe schools. They need trusted teachers, and they need real voice and decisions that shape their futures. Detroit families have too often been denied that voice.” Martin pointed to Public Act 10 of 1999, a bill co-sponsored by Rogers that originated in the Michigan Senate. He said the law paved the way for state control of Detroit schools.
Martin said that act led to decisions about Detroit schools from people who were not elected by Detroiters and were instead appointed by the state, leaving them unaccountable to the constituents they served. Rogers was the state Senate majority floor leader from 1999 to 2000.
Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said, “Our history matters.” Wilson-Lumpkins said, “When our school boards have authority, our voters have authority. Our school boards elect superintendents, and we do not want any reoccurrence of an emergency manager. We are the people, and we rebuke any attempt to remove power from the people.” Scott Holiday, executive director of Detroit Action, said the group supported El-Sayed and his vision for policies that promote public education “and meaningful community control.” McCampbell also noted Rogers’ record of supporting Trump’s tariff policies before seeking to distance himself from the president on the issue.
