In his fourth bid to represent Michigan's 8th District, U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers is, for the first time, facing a Republican opponent in the primary.

Patrick Flynn, 46, of Hamburg Township, the business manager of Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church in Hamburg, is challenging Rogers, 43, of Brighton because he says the congressman has been disloyal to his conservative Republican base.

"I was a supporter of the incumbent during the last two election cycles. But he has a history of collaborating with social liberals, and I can't go along with that," Flynn said. "I decided rather than complaining about it, I was going to jump in and challenge him. I believe the Republican party needs strong conservatives to reclaim the party."

Attempts to reach Rogers over the course of two weeks were unsuccessful. His spokeswoman, Sylvia Warner, said Rogers was unavailable to comment for this story.

If Rogers has been unfaithful to the conservative base, though, even Flynn admits it doesn't show in his House voting record. Congressional Quarterly, a publication that tracks every congressional race in the U.S., conducted a study showing Rogers sided with President George W. Bush on 87 percent of House votes on which Bush took a position in 2005. That number was 6 percentage points higher than the average House Republican.

"The voting record is there for everyone to see, and it's been pretty good,'' Flynn admitted. "But I worry about where we are now, and where the party is going."

Flynn was upset that Rogers welcomed Christie Todd Whitman to the area last year to promote her book and political action committee. Whitman has called for a more inclusive Republican party, welcoming members who veer toward the left on some social issues.

Flynn, however, says the party needs to stick to its "pro-life, pro-family, pro-marriage'' basics. Running on traditional values, Flynn opposes abortion in all instances and opposes gay marriage. Rogers also opposes abortion, except to save the life of the mother. Flynn said Whitman's message, which Rogers supported, weakens the party by adding Republicans who are not as firm on core issues.

"If we grow the party simply by numbers, I don't believe we're going to be able to get much work done. We'll have a lot more Republicans, but if they vote and act like Democrats, what's the point?"

Political experts say Flynn has a tough road ahead - especially given Rogers' incumbency and $1 million in campaign funds. The primary race might actually help Rogers heading into November, said Paul Abramson, a political science professor at Michigan State University and co-author of a series of books documenting elections since 1980.

"I can't see Rogers facing any serious opposition in the primary,'' Abramson said. "If anything, it actually gives you an opportunity to tune up your organization. I don't think it's a bad thing for him to face a challenger in the summer."

The problem for Flynn, Abramson said, is a lack of resources with which to challenge Rogers.

"Unless they have an awful lot of money, there is no effective strategy they can come up with, unless they are lucky and there's some kind of scandal that taints the incumbent,'' he said. "This is Rogers' district. He's pretty established."

The 8th District includes Livingston, Clinton, Ingham and southern Shiawassee counties.

Livingston County GOP Chairwoman Cindy Pine expressed disappointment several months ago that Flynn had decided to run against Rogers, but says now the race will allow voters to take a closer look at important issues.

"I look at Mike Rogers as being a really good incumbent. He's been quite effective in Congress, so as party chair, I do feel a sense of satisfaction that we've got an office-holder who represents our party. Now Mr. Flynn is in there, and that's fine. We trust the voters to do a good job making decisions.

"Once the primary is over, we absolutely will come together and get out the vote for our candidates in November."