- Responding to claims by Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, GOP US Senate candidate Mike Rogers denied owning ‘a yacht in Florida’
- Records indicate Rogers registered two large boats in Maryland in 2015 and 2017
- One of the boats was later sold, but the other remains registered there, according to a Maryland government spokesperson
In a TV ad, campaign stops and a recent debate, Democratic US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has repeatedly claimed Republican Mike Rogers bought two yachts after leaving Congress, an apparent attempt to paint his rival as out of touch with the financial realities of most Michigan voters.
El-Sayed and Rogers have sparred with one another over their personal wealth and real estate holdings outside of Michigan. El-Sayed has made Rogers’ house and past residence in Florida a regular talking point, while Rogers has questioned El-Sayed’s rental properties in the United Arab Emirates and India.
In last week’s debate, Rogers denied owning “a yacht in Florida.”
Records show Rogers previously registered two large boats in Maryland, near a Washington, DC-area condo he and his wife owned. One of the boats was sold and the other remains registered there, according to a government spokesperson.
The yacht claim is among many Bridge is fact-checking ahead of the Nov. 3 election, including debate claims about the personal wealth of both Rogers and El-Sayed. The winner of the Senate race will succeed retiring Democrat Gary Peters.
The claims
In their Oct. 8 debate, El-Sayed repeatedly noted that Rogers’ wealth grew after he left Congress at the start of 2015 and later moved to Florida. At one point, he asked his rival: “Did you sell your yachts?”
Rogers replied, “I never owned a yacht in Florida, brother.”
El-Sayed has made similar claims on the trail, and on Sept. 23, his campaign launched an anti-Rogers attack ad that featured a UAW union member asking, “Who needs two yachts?” A separate ad by the Senate Majority PAC, which works to elect Democrats, said Rogers “bought himself a Florida mansion, complete with two everyday yachts, while Michiganders struggle.”
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- Mike Rogers, John James shift positions on Iran war
Asked about the yacht claim, Rogers’ spokesperson Alyssa Brouillet called it “another lie — but that seems to be the trademark of Abdul’s campaign.”
“We’re not surprised considering Abdul will make up anything to distract from the fact that he owns luxury property in Dubai. Bridge Michigan should investigate that,” Brouillet said in a statement.
Bridge has reported on El-Sayed’s rental properties in Dubai and India, including in a fact check of last week’s debate.
El-Sayed’s campaign pointed to boat registration screenshots it posted online after the debate.
“Mike Rogers spent his whole career in Congress selling out Michiganders so he could go through the revolving door and cash out,” El-Sayed spokesperson Cole Wozniak said in a statement. “His deep record of corruption bought him a Florida mansion and two yachts.”
The facts
El-Sayed’s campaign provided Bridge with copies of what appear to be 2015 and 2017 Maryland boat registrations for Rogers. His address is redacted.
The first registration was for “Sawfish,” a 32-foot, twin-hull Larson boat manufactured in 2008. The second was for “Si Como No,” a 39-foot vessel built in 2016 by Cruisers Yachts. Both could be considered yachts, although there is no industry definition, and yachts can often be much larger.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, which is responsible for boat registrations in the state, verified both boats were registered by the same owner, but a spokesperson said policy prevented him from disclosing the owner’s name.
However, Rogers also registered boats with identical hull and vessel numbers through the US Coast Guard, according to a records database reviewed by Bridge. The database lists both as “prior” registrations at the address of a condo Rogers and his wife owned in Virginia, across the Potomac River from Maryland.
No current registrations for Rogers are listed in the database, nor are any registrations associated with a Florida address.
Gregg Bortz, a spokesperson for the Maryland DNR, said the first boat, “Sawfish,” hasn’t been registered in the state since 2016 and was marked as sold that year. The second boat, “Si Como No,” remains registered in Maryland and has had the same owner since April 6, 2017 — the same date listed on the Rogers registration record provided by El-Sayed’s campaign.
A social media video posted by El-Sayed’s campaign appears to show similar boats but not the exact boats in question. A 2018 Instagram post by Rogers’ wife shows Rogers at the helm of a boat, although it isn’t clear what boat it is.
Property records for Rogers’ Florida home, previously reviewed by Bridge, show that a pier and boat lift were added to the property in 2025 before it was put up for sale a second time. No boat is visible in Google Earth satellite images.
Rogers’ latest financial disclosure doesn’t mention any watercraft. However, personal property that doesn’t generate income isn’t required to be listed, according to Senate financial disclosure rules.
Bottom line
Rogers previously registered 32-foot and 39-foot boats in Maryland that could be considered yachts. The first boat was sold before the other was registered, according to a Maryland spokesperson. The second boat remains registered there.
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