Buying votes is technically illegal in the U.S., but there are lots of little loopholes candidates can use to say they're just "encouraging voting." That seems to be what Michigan Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers' wife was doing earlier this week, when she rolled up to a Freedom Fuels gas station on Detroit's East Side.
Michigan households are by far those hit hardest per person by Trump's tariffs and trade war with Canada, according to Yahoo! Finance. Something Michigan people are well aware of, I assure you. Rogers has a tough battle ahead for the open senate against progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Kristi Rogers showed up at the Freedom Fuels gas station in Detroit to help alleviate some of the pain at the pump the Republican party's tariffs and war with Iran have created — a whole $10 worth of relief.
Gee, Kristi, you shouldn't have. I mean, you probably actually shouldn't have.
Kristi Rogers, the wife of Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Rogers, is passing out $10 gas cards at the freedom fuel gas station on Harper and Cadieux. She's highlighting Rogers' call to suspend the state gas tax. pic.twitter.com/gaeR4m51lW
— Sam Robinson (@samueljrob) October 14, 2026
Two and a quarters gallon of gas! Hot damn!
Sarah Rice/Getty Images
Thanks to the state's close relationship with former friend, Canada, Michigan households have paid more than $5,600 extra on average since January 2025, according to data compiled by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation. Detroit, especially, is hit very hard, as it is home to some of the poorest zip codes in the country and relies heavily on automotive manufacturing jobs hurt by tariffs. When consumer prices rise, it affects your average Joe the most.
Add in Detroit's astronomical car insurance, terrible winter-chewed salty roads that destroy cars, and a gallon of regular running $4.55 on average and you have a populace in need of real solutions to their problems.
But is this even legal? The Detroit News has a rundown on how Kristi could be sidestepping legal woes:
Michigan's election code ― which applies to both federal and state candidates ― states that it's a misdemeanor to provide items of value to induce people to vote or to register to vote.
But a gift card giveaway can be legal if it's offered to everyone without conditions, meaning the recipients aren't required specifically to vote or support or oppose a candidate or particular political initiative in exchange for the card, lawyers told The Detroit News.
Brendan Fischer, director of strategic investigations at the Campaign Legal Center, said he couldn't find other examples of a federal candidate using campaign funds to pay for gas cards.
He noted that federal candidates are prohibited from using campaign funds to cover any person's personal expenses. This rule is what critics pointed to when they cried foul over presidential hopeful Andrew Yang's $1,000 monthly "universal basic income" sweepstakes in 2019.
"It's an open question whether campaign funds may be used to pay for gas cards because filling up your tank is an expense that's going to exist irrespective of the campaign," Fischer said.
Considering some of the folks receiving the cards are wearing 'Mike Rogers For Senate' stickers, it's unclear how much of this is a PR stunt versus an actual giveaway. Kristi herself is wearing a 'Mike Rogers' sticker, which could potentially run afoul of campaign finance law, but it's not like there are any repercussions anymore.
Rogers campaign didn't respond to The Detroit News' questions on "what, if any, campaign messages that Kristi Rogers was handing out with the gift cards or what she was saying to drivers in the parking lot."