USA15 September, 20262 min read
Mike Rogers Skips Michigan Senate Debate, Citing Fox 2 Moderator Roop Raj Favoritism Toward Abdul El-Sayed
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Mike Rogers declines Michigan Senate debate citing moderator favoritism toward Abdul El-Sayed. El-Sayed attends in-studio; Rogers absent, debate proceeds with open podium.
Debate Skipped, Podium Empty
Vice President JD Vance urged House Republicans to “just talk about Abdul El-Sayed” if their own opponents aren’t “that crazy,” in a Tuesday closed-door meeting obtained by CNN. In Michigan, Senate candidate Mike Rogers (R) said he would skip Tuesday night’s debate with opponent Abdul El-Sayed (D) after citing alleged “favoritism” by moderator Roop Raj, a journalist with Detroit’s Fox affiliate.
“‘Nothing we do at this station is trying to take a side,’ Raj said.”
The Rogers campaign’s communications director Alyssa Brouillet said Michiganders “deserve to see their candidates engage in a healthy, fair debate — not one compromised by media bias,” while Fox 2 Detroit said the event would go on with El-Sayed in studio next to an empty podium. Fox 2 Detroit reported Raj defended himself on “Good Day Detroit,” saying, “Nothing we do at this station is trying to take a side,” and added that the Rogers camp “did not want to do a debate with FOX 2.”
Carlson Backs El-Sayed
Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson defended Abdul El-Sayed over GOP opponent Mike Rogers, saying, “I wouldn't vote for Mike Rogers at gunpoint,” in a Sept. 2 episode of his podcast.
USA Today reported Carlson wrote in a Sept. 11 newsletter that El-Sayed is “obviously right” and added that there is “nothing remotely crazy” about the remarks.
In that same USA Today account, Carlson argued Rogers’ response to the New York Post shows “he cannot possibly have the judgment necessary to adequately serve the needs of American voters,” and El-Sayed responded on Pod Save America by saying, “What you get in Tucker Carlson is somebody who's seen up close a lot of the corruption inside MAGA.”
The Hill also described how Rogers and El-Sayed are battling in one of just seven Senate races, with Decision Desk HQ giving El-Sayed a 66 percent chance of succeeding outgoing Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.).
9/11, Piker, and Stakes
El-Sayed’s campaign faced renewed scrutiny around the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks and his ties to Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, after El-Sayed declined over the weekend to distance himself from Piker, according to KOMO.
“He’s got enough material for the whole country.”
In a Face the Nation transcript, El-Sayed told Weijia Jiang, “With all due respect, this is the third time you’ve asked about a Twitch streamer in California,” and said he has “done four events in Michigan this week.”
CNN reported Vance’s broader message to House Republicans was to level with voters about economic frustrations while still encouraging GOP lawmakers to blame Democrats, and Vance said “He’s got enough material for the whole country.”
Fox 2 Detroit said the debate would be moderated by Roop Raj and that FOX 2 would leave an open podium for Rogers, with the invitation still standing even as Rogers declined the invitation.