AUBURN — Tuesday at the weekly meeting of the Auburn University College Republicans, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks) fielded questions about the upcoming midterm elections, including his re-election bid against Mallory Hagan, the former Miss America that is now the Democratic nominee for Alabama’s third congressional district.

Rogers expressed some optimism for Republicans facing headwinds in a midterm election cycle following a presidential election that as history shows favor the candidates of the party out of power. However, Rogers said at this point in the 2016 presidential election cycle, polling suggested a bleak picture for Republicans then as well, which ultimately was not the case.

The incumbent Calhoun County Republican was also asked about not debating Hagan, to which he responded, “Why would I want to help her with name ID?” and added that voters in his congressional district were familiar with his record.

Following his presentation to the Auburn University College Republicans, Rogers reacted to Hagan’s comments in which she had expressed her dissatisfaction with Alabama’s “culture” and having proclaimed herself a New Yorker following her 2003 Miss America contest win in an interview with Yellowhammer News.

“I never left Alabama,” Rogers said. “I’ve been here over the last five decades raising a family and proud of this country, proud of the state. And I was disappointed particularly since she left the state and spent nine of the last ten years living in New York and California. And defending becoming Miss New York and competing for that state in the pageant by saying ‘the reason I left Alabama was because I was not comfortable with the culture there.’ How can you think you’re the right person to come back and represent that culture in Washington? I just don’t understand how she reconciles that, but I think the voters are going to take care of that.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.