With Rep. Mike Rogers announcing Friday that he will not seek the Republican nomination for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, Republicans have expressed hope they can come up with a better known contender to enter the 2014 race.
Currently Republican National Committeewoman Terri Lynn Land and physician Rob Steele, who lost a race against veteran Democratic Rep. John Dingell in 2010, are seriously exploring the race. The certain Democratic nominee is three-term Rep. Gary Peters of Oakland County.
Among the higher-profile names mentioned is that of House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, who has received high marks during the recent IRS hearings.
There is also talk of trying to persuade state Attorney General Bill Schuette to reverse an earlier decision not to run for the Senate. Shortly after Levin's retirement announcement, Schuette, a former congressman and state judge, told Newsmax he will seek re-election to his present office and probably run for governor in 2018, when incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Snyder is termed out.
Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, had been widely considered the strongest Republican prospect for the open seat, but sources close to Rogers say he enjoys his work on the committee -- particularly at a time when government-run surveillance by the National Security Agency is coming under congressional scrutiny.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax.
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