Rogers works to stem tide of Republican losses in Congress

The Capitol Hill publication Roll Call has an insider’s look at how one Republican congressman from Michigan, Mike Rogers of Brighton, is fully engaged in the National Republican Congressional Committee’s efforts to strengthen GOP numbers in the U.S. House during the 2010 election cycle.

Rogers is the NRCC’s incumbent retention chairman, which means his job is to try and stop the bleeding from the last two election cycles, during which Republicans lost significant numbers of seats and control of the chamber and legislative agenda to Democrats.

From Roll Call (subscription required):

Rogers began his mission in February, when he started one-on-one meetings with more than 70 of his most vulnerable colleagues to set up individualized campaign goals. Many of the Members would act defensive at first, and Rogers said he often had to alleviate their fears about the committee’s new “Patriot” program — an incumbent retention plan that is modeled after Democrats’ successful “Frontline” program.

“We worked through all the issues of ‘Is this a program that will tell me what to do?’ or ‘Is this a program that’s going to help me get re-elected?’” Rogers said. “We think we’ve got people convinced that this is a program that’s going to get me re-elected.”

The article notes that the initial resistance to the program was overcome largely because Rogers has the strong backing of the Republican House leadership, particularly Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, Minority Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia and NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions of Texas. Rogers meets with the three leaders each week to update them on the retention efforts, according to Roll Call.

Those participating in the Patriot program include Michigan’s Thad McCotter of Livonia, who may face a difficult re-election battle in 2010 after winning by only a slim margin last fall against a relatively unknown Democratic candidate. Democratic strategists are targeting McCotter, saying the congressman’s seat is ripe for the taking.

Roll Call also notes the possibility that Rogers may be using this new position as a stepping stone to a House leadership position himself. Helping other members get re-elected is a great way to build up a chest full of IOUs from his colleagues, something that can come in handy should he decide to take a shot at a higher position within the House Republican Conference down the road.

Rogers represents the 8th Congressional District, which spans an area from Oakland County’s northern tier to Clinton County northwest of Lansing, including Ingham and Livingston counties, a seat that could be redrawn with reapportionment following the 2010 Census.