Showcasing his resume and emphasizing he’s ‘ready to serve again,’ former longtime U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan on Wednesday announced his 2024 candidacy for Senate in the crucial Great Lakes battleground of Michigan.

‘America under Biden and his cronies is going in the wrong direction,’ the Republican argued in a campaign launch video. ‘We can do better, and that’s why I’m running for the United States Senate. To get government out of the way, unleash American innovation and take common sense back to Washington.’

Rogers, who represented parts of central Michigan 14 years in Congress before deciding against running for re-election in 2014, served as House Intelligence Committee chair during his last four years in office. 

And he becomes the first prominent Republican to run for the open Senate seat held by longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow. 

Stabenow announced eight months ago she wouldn’t seek re-election in 2024 for a fifth six-year term representing Michigan in the Senate.

‘Michigan’s way of life is worth defending. That’s why I served in the Army. That’s why I served in the FBI, taking down organized crime. That’s why I led the House Intelligence Committee in the hard years after 9/11,’ Rogers said in his video as he showcased his resume. 

He also highlighted in his video that he ‘left politics to help build cybersecurity companies that can stop foreign threats like China.’

Rogers emphasized that ‘Michigan’s future is at risk’ and touted that ‘no candidate is better prepared to have an impact on day one.’

Rogers’ announcement could make the race in Michigan competitive as the GOP aims to win back the Senate majority next year. Republican sources confirmed to Fox News the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, encouraged Rogers to run.

‘Mike Rogers has devoted his life to serving the people of Michigan and holding communist China accountable. Mike is the type of candidate who can perform well with suburban Michiganders and be a strong part of the eventual ticket in Michigan. I am pleased to see Mike stepping up to run for the U.S. Senate,’ NRSC Chairman Sen. Steve Daines said in a statement.

Rogers last year and earlier this year flirted with a run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and made multiple stops in crucial early nominating states, like New Hampshire and Iowa, before deciding against a White House run.

Michigan State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder, businessperson Michael Hoover and attorney Alexandria Taylor have also filed to run for the GOP Senate nomination.

James Craig, a former Detroit police chief and former gubernatorial candidate, is also mulling a Republican run for Senate.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin is the front-runner for the Democratic Senate nomination in a field that also includes actor and businessman Hill Harper, state Board of Education President Pamela Pugh and former state Rep. Leslie Love.

Democrats hold a 51-49 majority in the chamber, which includes three independent senators who caucus with the Democratic conference.

That means Republicans need a net gain of just one or two seats in 2024 to win back the majority, depending on which party controls the White House after next year’s presidential election.

The math and the map favor the GOP in 2024. Democrats are defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs, including three in red states and a handful in key general election battlegrounds.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Recent health scares among those serving in Congress have renewed calls from conservatives for lawmakers to bring forward some type of term limits legislation in an effort to prevent members of both chambers from making a career out of political service.

In January, South Carolina GOP Rep. Ralph Norman introduced H.J.Res.11, an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would limit those serving in the House to three terms, for a total of six years, and those serving in the Senate to two terms, for a total of 12 years. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, served as co-lead in introducing the amendment.

However, little has been done to address the issue under Republican control of the House. Movement of the amendment through the House awaits action by the Judiciary Committee, Norman said.

‘My term limits amendment sits in the Judiciary Committee right now, and I really hope to see it marked up this fall, as soon as possible, but there is no set dates yet,’ Norman told Fox News Digital in a statement.

‘This is absolutely a bipartisan issue. There are career politicians on both sides of the aisle, and the American people deserve better,’ Norman added, stressing the importance of the amendment’s passage.

Norman’s office said the measure, which has received bipartisan support and has 100 co-sponsors, starts the term-limit counter after ratification, meaning that politicians elected prior to that date would not yet be subject to term limits.

Reached for comment about whether there is progress being made to address the issue of term limits, a Judiciary Committee source told Fox the amendment ‘remains a priority for Chairman Jordan, and we look forward to marking it up soon.

‘We are also planning a hearing on the issue too.’

For those elected during a special election to fill a vacancy, the proposal, according to Norman’s office, defines the length of a ‘qualifying term’ as at least one year in the House of Representatives and at least three years in the Senate.

Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., one of a handful of Democrats supporting the amendment offered by Norman and Golden earlier this year, told Fox it’s important that politicians are trusted and ‘not simply career politicians.’

‘Being a good neighbor in Congress means making sure government works for people, which includes making sure our elected officials are devoted and trusted – not simply career politicians,’ Sorensen said.

Along with her colleagues, New York GOP Rep. Claudia Tenney also hopes to see attention given to the amendment by the Judiciary Committee.

‘Since I was first elected to Congress after a long career as an attorney and businesswoman, I have been dedicated to restoring transparency and accountability in Washington, and that starts by ending Washington’s politician-for-life syndrome,’ Tenney told Fox. ‘I remain committed to supporting any reasonable term limits bill that is considered, and this amendment is no different. I urge my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee to swiftly advance this amendment and send career politicians packing!’

In touting the amendment and urging its passage, Golden said earlier this year that the House of Representatives ‘was never intended at its inception to be a place where someone served for 30 years.’

‘Mainers voted in support of term limits in a large part because they don’t believe elected office should be a long-term career,’ Golden said at the time. ‘Instead, they want fresh ideas and new leadership. Terms limits will go a long way towards delivering those ideas and leadership in Washington.’

Last week, during a press conference in Covington, Kentucky, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., froze for more than 30 seconds while fielding questions from reporters. It was the second time this year that the 81-year-old Republican appeared to freeze up while taking reporter questions.

The second incident came as a result of McConnell feeling ‘momentarily lightheaded,’ according to his team, but several conservatives shared their thoughts online about what took place and called on lawmakers to pass term limits legislation.

Despite the incidents McConnell has faced in recent months, Dr. Brian Monahan, Congress’ attending physician, said Tuesday there’s ‘no evidence’ the Kentucky Republican had a seizure or a stroke when he froze up during the public remarks last week.

Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley also weighed in on the situation, saying Sunday she believes there should be term limits and mental competency tests for those serving in Congress after McConnell’s latest episode.

Haley, during an appearance on CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation,’ argued that ‘we need people at the top of their game’ and that aging members of Congress need to understand when ‘it’s time to step away.’

‘Here you have Mitch McConnell, who’s done great service to the country,’ Haley said. ‘You have Dianne Feinstein, who had a great career. You’ve got Nancy Pelosi who’d been there a long time. At what point do they get it’s time to leave?’

Other lawmakers have also experienced recent health struggles, including California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Last month, Feinstein, who has represented the Golden State in the Senate since 1992, was briefly hospitalized in California after falling in her San Francisco home.

‘Senator Feinstein briefly went to the hospital yesterday afternoon as a precaution after a minor fall in her home. All of her scans were clear, and she returned home,’ a spokesperson for the senator said in a statement about the matter.

But it wasn’t the first time Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress, had been hospitalized this year. After returning from a nearly three-month absence from the Senate earlier this year, Feinstein’s office confirmed she was hospitalized for severe neurological complications from shingles that affected her brain and face in February.

The 90-year-old has suffered from extensive health issues for more than a year, leading some to question her fitness for office. Since her return to the chamber, there have been multiple instances when Feinstein appeared to be confused about what she was doing and what her responsibilities were during hearings.

The idea of limiting congressional service has been tossed around among lawmakers for years, but it has never resulted in any serious legislation as members continue their decades-long careers in both chambers.

Twelve members currently serving in either the House or Senate have worked more than 35 years in one or both chambers. The longest-serving member of Congress is GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, whose career in politics spans nearly 65 years from his time as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives in 1959. Grassley was first elected to the U.S. House in 1974 and later to the Senate in 1980, where he has served as chair of multiple committees during his more than 48-year career in federal politics.

Following Grassley, Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey, who served in the House nearly 40 years before becoming the junior senator for the state in 2013, has a combined 46-year career in both chambers.

Beside McConnell, other current members of Congress who have a more than 35-year career in federal politics include Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (42 years); Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. (42 years); Kentucky GOP Rep. Hal Rogers (42 years); New Jersey GOP Rep. Chris Smith (42 years); Maryland Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer (41 years); Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin (40 years); Ohio Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur (40 years); Maryland Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin (36 years); and California Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi (36 years).

EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., on Tuesday accused his primary challenger for Indiana’s open Senate seat of trying ‘to screw’ Indiana families during the height of inflation.

‘This fella has a lot of obstacles overcome to actually get on the ballot. But if he does, we’ll have a spirited race and talk about the differences between my proven conservative track record and his lifetime of voting for Democrats,’ Banks said in an interview at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. 

John Rust, chairman of Rose Acre Farms and a sixth-generation Indiana egg farmer, recently announced a long-shot bid for the spot being vacated by current Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., who is running for governor. 

Banks has been the favorite in the race for months, having snagged endorsements from a litany of local, state and federal Republicans. He told Fox News Digital that he would ‘welcome competition’ in the race, but did not hesitate to cut deep into his new opponents perceived flaws – including an ongoing lawsuit against Rose Acre Farms and other companies over accusations of price gouging and coordinating to maximize profits. 

‘I find that to be just disgusting that this guy, and his family, would be a part of a scheme to screw people in Indiana who are trying to put food on the table, and they made it even harder on them during COVID to do that,’ Banks said. ‘His business is being sued for it. I’m going to make sure that a guy like that never goes anywhere near the United States Senate.’

Rust, who spoke with Fox News Digital last month, said at the time he was a lifelong conservative who only voted for Democrats when he ‘knew people personally’ running in left-wing primaries. His campaign did not immediately respond to Banks’s latest comments. 

But Banks is still considered Braun’s likely successor for the deep-red state’s Senate seat. He told Fox News Digital that Indianans want a senator who’s committed to restoring Trump administration policies on China, the border and the economy, among other issues. 

‘They want a senator to shake it up… hold China accountable, secure our border, rein in wasteful spending, do something about the big issues of the day to save this country. This is a great country, and the Democrats are doing everything that they can to destroy it,’ he said. 

His campaign has also clinched support from former President Donald Trump, the Club For Growth, and the Senate GOP’s campaign arm – factions of the GOP that are diametrically opposed on most issues. That did not ‘happen overnight,’ Banks said.

‘We’ve been out criss-crossing the state for several months, building relationships all over Indiana to try to bring the party together – and having President Trump’s endorsement goes a long way to bring Republicans on of all stripes to my side to help me win the primary,’ the lawmaker explained, adding that he also has ‘nearly 400 endorsements at the local level’ across Indiana.

He also pointed out that keeping Indiana’s Senate seat in GOP hands is critical to winning the majority next year, arguing he was best positioned to take that on.

‘That’s what’s most important – to win back the Senate Republican majority, we have to keep Indiana Republican and then go out and beat Democrats in Ohio, West Virginia, Montana, and elsewhere so that we can save this country,’ Banks said. ‘And I’m proud to have the support of Republicans – whether they’re traditional Republicans, Trump Republicans, conservative Republicans – from all over the state of Indiana to help us get that done.’

Vice President Kamala Harris said during an interview Wednesday that she was ready to fulfill her constitutional duty to assume the presidency should President Biden be unable to govern as questions swirl around his health and age.

Biden, who is 80 and is turning 81 in November, continues to be the oldest serving president in U.S. history. Should Democrats win again in 2024, he will be 82 before he is sworn into a potential second term and would be 86 at the end of it. Harris described the idea of possibly stepping into the role of president as ‘hypothetical’ but said she was ready.

‘Joe Biden is going to be fine, so that is not going to come to fruition,’ Harris told The Associated Press in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she was attending a regional summit. ‘But let us also understand that every vice president — every vice president — understands that when they take the oath they must be very clear about the responsibility they may have to take over the job of being president.’

She added, ‘I’m no different.’

The vice president also dismissed concerns about Biden’s age, even though he is widely seen as too old for office.

A recent AP/NORC poll showed that 77% of Americans and 69% of Democrats think Biden is too old for a second term.

Some Republican presidential candidates, including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, have argued that a vote for Biden would really end up being a vote for Harris.

‘I see him every day,’ Harris said of Biden. ‘A substantial amount of time we spend together is in the Oval Office, where I see how his ability to understand issues and weave through complex issues in a way that no one else can to make smart and important decisions on behalf of the American people have played out.’

She added, ‘And so I will say to you that I think the American people ultimately want to know that their president delivers. And Joe Biden delivers.’

Harris ran for the presidency in 2020 but quickly burned out following the Democratic primary debates. She ultimately dropped from the election in Dec. 2019 and received fewer pledged delegates than fellow candidates Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar or Tulsi Gabbard.

During the interview, Harris also cited her former work as a prosecutor in arguing former President Trump should be held responsible for the protests at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Harris served as the San Francisco district attorney from 2004 to 2011 and California’s attorney general from 2011 to 2017.

‘Let the evidence, the facts, take it where it may,’ Harris said during Wednesday’s interview.

She continued, ‘I spent the majority of my career as a prosecutor. I believe that people should be held accountable under the law. And when they break the law, there should be accountability.’

Trump, the current frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is facing four federal indictments, including one in Georgia for allegedly attempting to reverse the results of the 2020 election.

With the 2024 presidential election cycle fully underway and with Trump likely becoming the Republican nominee, Biden and Harris have expressed that he is a threat to American democracy.

‘Democracies are very fragile,’ Harris said in Wednesday’s interview. ‘They will only be as strong as our willingness to fight for it.’

Harris is currently representing the United States at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The president’s absence disappointed some, but the White House emphasized his commitment to the region, which Harris also reiterated in her interview.

‘We as Americans, I believe, have a very significant interest, both in terms of our security but also our prosperity, today and in the future, in developing and strengthening these relationships,’ she said.

Harris’ approval ratings have remained low throughout her vice presidency, and an NBC News poll found she had the lowest rating for any vice president in the poll’s history.

Only 32% of registered voters have a positive view of Harris, compared to 49% with a negative view, and 39% with a ‘very negative view.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., and one of his former campaign aides, Samuel Miele, appear to be discussing plea deals with federal prosecutors. 

In a filing Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and Santos jointly asked the court to delay a status conference hearing scheduled for Thursday until Oct. 27 ‘to allow defense counsel additional time to review discovery materials and for the parties to continue discussing paths forward in this matter.’ 

Since the last hearing on June 30, the defendant ‘has continued to review the voluminous discoverable material previously produced by the government and requires additional time to continue reviewing that material,’ the filing says, and the government ‘anticipates making another substantial production of discoverable material’ this week. 

‘Defense counsel has indicated that he will need additional time to review that material as well,’ prosecutors wrote. ‘Further, the parties have continued to discuss possible paths forward in this matter. The parties wish to have additional time to continue those discussions.’ 

Later Tuesday, Judge Joanna Seybert granted the government’s request, which Santos had joined, delaying the hearing. 

In Miele’s case, prosecutors told the court on Tuesday that they needed to delay a meeting ‘to accommodate ongoing discovery review and plea negotiations,’ adding in the filing that ‘negotiations concerning a potential resolution of this case without the need for a trial are active and ongoing,’ according to Politico. 

Miele, a former fundraiser, had been fired from the Santos campaign after he was caught soliciting donations under the alias Dan Meyer, then the chief of staff to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who at the time was the Republican minority leader. The 27-year-old was arrested on federal charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for his alleged scheme to trick donors into giving money to Santos under Meyer’s name. He pleaded not guilty. 

Prosecutors say Miele went to significant lengths to assume the false identity, setting up a dummy email address resembling Meyer’s name as he reached out to more than a dozen donors between August and December 2021. Santos said he was informed of the impersonation in late 2021 by the real Meyer, who has since retired, and he promptly fired Miele.

Santos, infamous for fabricating major parts of his life story during his run for office, is facing his own federal charges accusing him of duping donors, stealing from his campaign, lying to Congress about being a millionaire and collecting fraudulent unemployment benefits. He has pleaded not guilty. The charges could carry up to 20 years in prison.

Santos, who says he is seeking re-election, has not articulated a clear decision on whether he’d consider a pela deal in recent TV news appearances. 

‘Word of the day: Speculation Meaning: The forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence,’ Santos wrote in a vague Tuesday post on X, formerly Twitter. 

‘I’m going to fight the witch hunt,’ he told reporters in the hours following his arraignment in May, according to Politico. ‘I’m going to take care of clearing my name.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Petitioners are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case in which they claim a police K-9 officer violated the Constitution by jumping up and placing its paws on a vehicle during a traffic stop.

The case relates to Nero, a Belgian Malinois working as a police dog in Idaho. Nero uncovered meth residue and other drug paraphernalia during a search, but he also briefly jumped and placed his front paws onto the door of a car, which petitioners argue violated the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against ‘unreasonable searches.’

The driver of the car, Kirby Dorff, was ultimately convicted on charges of felony drug possession. The Idaho Supreme Court tossed out Dorff’s conviction in March, however, arguing that Nero’s pounce onto the door constituted a ‘warrantless search.’

Court records say police first pulled over Dorff after he made an erratic turn across three lanes of traffic in 2019. Nero arrived with his handler shortly after, and made two circuits around Dorff’s vehicle. Nero jumped up several times during the second circuit.

After finding evidence of drug possession in the vehicle, police obtained a warrant to search Dorff’s motel room, where they found more evidence, according to USA Today.

Idaho’s Supreme Court found in a 3-2 ruling that while police K-9s are free to sniff the air around a given vehicle, they are not allowed to attempt to get inside the vehicle without a warrant.

The court compared the situation to ‘the difference between a dog’s tail that brushes against the bumper of your vehicle as it walks by — and a dog who, without privilege or consent, approaches your vehicle to jump on its roof, sit on its hood, stand on its window or door.’

Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court decide among themselves which cases to hear each term.

The high Court ruled in 2013 that it is unconstitutional for police to bring a drug search dog onto a suspect’s property without a search warrant.