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Abdul El-Sayed And Mike Rogers Clash In Second Michigan Senate Debate In Detroit
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Rogers pressed El-Sayed on loyalty to the country during the Detroit debate. Polls show the Michigan Senate race remains neck-and-neck ahead of Election Day.
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Detroit Debate Turns
Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers clashed in a second Michigan Senate debate in Detroit on Wednesday, with the contest framed as a final sprint for an open U.S. Senate seat less than two weeks before Election Day.
El-Sayed sought to tie Rogers to President Donald Trump and argued that rising gas and grocery prices are products of the war with Iran, saying, “We need a war powers resolution rather than a senator who is going to stand hip to hip with Donald Trump on this war that made no sense when it started and certainly makes no sense now.”
Rogers aimed to create space with Trump on the war in recent weeks and told NBC News, “I don’t think so,” when asked whether Trump made a mistake launching the war.
Rogers also pressed El-Sayed on overseas Islamist ties, and the exchange culminated when El-Sayed interrupted Rogers by saying, “I’m talking,” and then, “I am talking. Excuse me.”
Loyalty Fight, MAGA
The Detroit News described the debate as calmer than their first meeting two weeks ago, and it said El-Sayed encouraged viewers to play “MAGA bingo” based on Rogers’ “buzzword” answers. El-Sayed told the television audience, “They're going to use buzzwords, and I'm hoping that y'all can play at home,” and he challenged Rogers to “own” his record while saying Rogers stands “hip to hip” with President Donald Trump on his worst policies.
Rogers accused El-Sayed of a “pattern of deception,” and he said, “This is again this pattern of deception that this candidate has done for the last 18 months,” as he repeatedly linked El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood. The Hill reported that Rogers again sought to tie El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood, and Rogers asked, “Are you for America or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?”
What It Could Decide
The Hill said polls show El-Sayed with a narrow lead over Rogers, and it reported that Decision Desk HQ forecasts that the Democrat has a 67 percent chance of winning the seat left open by retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.).
Rogers argued about Social Security solvency by saying, “We must fix this,” and he said, “I think the best way to do this is put people in a room, it’s got to be bipartisan to get this done.”
The Detroit News said the contest between the two men could help determine control of the U.S. Senate next term, and it noted that advertising spending in the race is expected to top $300 million by Election Day on Nov. 3.
El-Sayed also made Trump central to his pitch, telling viewers, “You cannot win this race without Donald Trump coming here and stumping for you,” while Rogers countered that the “bingo game” was about how many times El-Sayed could put the word Trump into answers.
NBC News said the debate took place in Detroit less than two weeks before Election Day in the bitterly contested battle for an open Senate seat, with the candidates addressing healthcare, immigration, crime, Social Security and tariffs among other issues.