Ex-Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who last year said the department she once led 'should not exist,' maxes out political contributions to Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers

• Ex-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos maxed out contributions to Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers.
• In total, the DeVos family gave Rogers $46,200 in the third quarter, a significant sum this early in the race.
• Last year, DeVos told attendees at a conservative summit that the department she once led "should not exist."

Former Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos donated the maximum allowable political contributions to Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, a former congressman who in his campaign announcement last month said that schools "care more about social engineering" than teaching the basics.

According to third-quarter disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission, DeVos gave Rogers $3,300 for both the Senate primary and the general election, respectively, totalling $6,600.

The Federal Election Commission allows individuals to contribute up to $3,300 per election, an increase from the $2,900 that was permitted during the 2022 election cycle.

In addition to Betsy DeVos, several other members of the DeVos family — who are highly influential in Michigan Republican politics — gave the maximum political contributions to Rogers.

Rogers received the maximum contributions from Betsy DeVos' husband, former Amway chief executive Richard "Dick" DeVos Jr., along with sports executive Daniel DeVos, Amway Board of Directors co-chair Douglas DeVos, philanthropist Maria DeVos, designer Pamella DeVos, and former Amway corporate affairs vice president Suzanne DeVos.

The contributions from DeVos family members totaled $46,200, which represented roughly 6.97% of the total itemized contributions that Rogers received in the third quarter of 2023.

Betsy DeVos, a former Michigan Republican Party chair, served as Education secretary under President Donald Trump from February 2017 to January 2021.

While in the Trump administration, DeVos continued to clash with Democratic lawmakers over education policy, especially as it related to the department's then-overhaul of student loan servicing for individuals who had been defrauded by for-profit institutions.

DeVos resigned from her post shortly after January 6, 2021, and on her way out needled Trump over his handling of the events and the "unconscionable" rioting that temporarily halted the certification of now-President Joe Biden's victory.

Last year, the former Education secretary attracted renewed attention after she remarked that the department she once led "should not exist" during a speech at the national Moms for Liberty summit.

Rogers, who served in the House from 2001 to 2015 and formerly chaired the House Intelligence Committee, had long been touted as a statewide candidate in GOP circles, so his entry into the race to succeed Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow has attracted interest from national Republicans who feel he can wage a competitive race in the swing state.

Last year, Michigan Republicans lost their majorities in both houses of the state legislature. The party also faltered in the governor's race, with GOP nominee Tudor Dixon losing to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by double digits.

The Democratic candidates currently in the Senate race include three-term Rep. Elissa Slotkin, actor Hill Harper, businessman Nasser Beydoun, former state Rep. Leslie Love, Michigan State Board of Education president Pamela Pugh, and attorney Zack Burns.