A debate Thursday night in the closely watched Michigan Senate race quickly turned acrimonious, with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and former Republican congressman Mike Rogers trading insults, accusations and even comparisons about their mothers.
The two candidates frequently veered away from questions during their one-hour debate in Grand Rapids on issues including President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, the war in Iran, gasoline prices and the future of Social Security. Moderator Rick Albin, a veteran political reporter, soon became something of a referee.
Rogers repeatedly suggested that supporters of his opponent sympathized with Hamas and Hezbollah without offering evidence, while El-Sayed accused Rogers of being in the pocket of corporate interests.
The back-and-forth, according to Albin, didn’t pause for a commercial — when television viewers weren’t watching.
The contenders broadly agreed that some US tariffs on Canada, Michigan’s neighbor, were harmful to the state’s economy and that the war in Iran should end. They also supported a moratorium on new data centers in the state.
But finger-pointing denunciations and interruptions drowned out any possible consensus. El-Sayed asserted that Rogers had been “flip-flopping” on tariffs after they became unpopular. “So all of a sudden, he’s reversed course, he’s doing an ad, drinking a Labatt’s and talking about the Red Wings, pretending, like, he was not for this the entire time.”
Earlier: Close Michigan Senate Result Leaves Democrats’ Path Unclear
In response, Rogers said, “There are tariffs that I think are too high and not helpful for us. We ought to get rid of those. So this is about getting the best deal possible.”
Rogers also criticized El-Sayed for not answering a question about whether Israel or Iran posed a greater threat to the US. El-Sayed dismissed the question as “ridiculous” and said Israel had lured the US into the war with Iran, which then realized it possessed tremendous leverage when it closed the Strait of Hormuz.
Less than a month before the midterm elections, El-Sayed has been seen as moving his campaign message more to the center since the primary while Rogers has distanced himself somewhat from some of Trump’s positions, including on tariffs and the war.
Several polls show a close race, which has become one of the most expensive contests this election season. More than $280 million has been spent on advertising so far, according to AdImpact .
Democrats need to flip four seats to take a majority in the Senate, and while more races nationally have become competitive, holding Michigan following the retirement of Senator Gary Peters is seen as essential to that effort.
El-Sayed, a 41-year-old physician, has emphasized cost-of-living concerns, healthcare and improving infrastructure. That follows a primary campaign in which he vowed to halt aid to Israel, defund the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and repeatedly appeared alongside Hasan Piker, a popular figure among the emerging socialist movement who has routinely drawn criticism for inflammatory statements.
Rogers offers voters his experience as a congressman and an FBI special agent. He favors a limited-government approach to most issues and portrays El-Sayed as a radical leftist who cannot be trusted with such an important office.
Former President Barack Obama will be in Michigan on Oct. 24 to attend a campaign rally for El-Sayed and other Democrats. Former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned with El-Sayed in late September. Trump said he plans to come to Michigan to campaign for Republican candidates in the final weeks before the elections.