How Michigan Senate hopeful Mike Rogers is leveling up his ground game and the Republican Partys

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Former Rep.

Mike Rogers, aiming to return to Washington as Michigan’s first Republican senator in more than 20 years, is deploying a high-tech independent canvassing effort throughout the must-win state.It’s even helping other GOP candidates — including Donald Trump — overcome the party’s weak ground game.“Mike Rogers six months ago didn’t think that he would have a state political party that was functioning, that would get out the vote for him, so he’s got his own operation in place,” Michigan GOP Chair Pete Hoekstra told The Post.While the Republican National Committee has shifted its resources away from canvassing uncommitted and likely GOP voters in favor of training poll-watchers and attorneys to be election-integrity watchdogs, Rogers and his team are knocking on the doors of low-propensity voters who could make all the difference Election Day — if they show up.

A veteran of Michigan politics, Rogers left the state Senate as majority leader to represent the 8th Congressional District, ending his 2001 to 2015 tenure as House Intelligence Committee chairman.Now running against Democratic Rep.Elissa Slotkin to fill retiring Sen.

Debbie Stabenow’s seat, the former Army officer and FBI special agent used his own substantial political resources to develop a door-knocking team to rival Dem get-out-the-vote efforts — independently of the GOP.The campaign started rapping on doors in late May — before the primary — racking up 250,000 knocks so far, Rogers campaign spokesman Chris Gustafson told The Post.“We hit the ground running right off the bat there.

Building out the field team, expanding it to its current size, where it’s just over three dozen staffers on the ground now in Michigan,” he said.The calendar played a big role in Rogers’ early start in building his get-out-the-vote apparatus: The state’s August primary is late, especially since Michigan starts sending absentee ballots before September’s ...