Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, held their first Michigan U.S. Senate debate on Thursday, Oct. 8, at the WOOD-TV studios in Grand Rapids. The hourlong event was moderated by WOOD-TV's Rick Albin. The two candidates are competing to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, and most polls show a very close race that could help decide which party controls the Senate, according to CBS News.
The exchanges were personal and heated. CBS News reported that El-Sayed called Rogers "weak," "cowardly" and a "sock puppet for the Trump administration," while Rogers called El-Sayed a "glitchy AI chatbot" running a "con." Fox News reported that Rogers questioned El-Sayed's medical credentials and called him a liar and a "con man." El-Sayed holds a medical degree from Columbia University. Albin repeatedly asked the candidates to keep order. After the only commercial break, he said that in 30 years of moderating debates he had never seen the argument continue during a break.
On policy, both candidates called for pausing the gas tax and questioned the tariff war with Canada. Rogers said it should end through a deal and that he had spoken with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about it. Mediaite reported that Rogers was pressed about a video he posted Wednesday saying the tariff war should end "now." Rogers said, "We didn't change." On Iran, Rogers said this was the time to wrap up the war, citing damage to Iran's nuclear program and military. El-Sayed called it a "stupid war" and favored a diplomatic solution.
Israel was another point of conflict. Asked about providing defensive weapons to Israel if it were attacked, El-Sayed said he did not want tax dollars buying weapons for other countries. The New York Post reported that he twice called a question on whether Iran or Israel is the greater threat to the U.S. a "ridiculous" hypothetical, saying both have proven dangerous in their own way. Rogers criticized El-Sayed for not issuing a statement on the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack anniversary; El-Sayed replied, "I condemned that." Rogers said Israel would lose his support if it spoke of using nuclear weapons, a remark some observers took as confirming Israel has them. Israel has not publicly confirmed it.
Finances were also in dispute. El-Sayed pressed Rogers on a Florida home and alleged yacht ownership, which Rogers has denied. He also cited a claim by his campaign that Rogers took a $14 million payout as a pharma lobbyist, which Rogers has denied. Rogers said El-Sayed owns property in the United Arab Emirates and takes corporate PAC money. Rogers did not directly answer a question about earnings tied to Telefónica.
On healthcare, Rogers called El-Sayed's Medicare for All support "dangerous." El-Sayed said families who want to keep private insurance could do so. On immigration, Rogers called operations in Minnesota earlier this year "probably not appropriate," and El-Sayed, who has called for abolishing ICE, said violent criminals could be deported without "violating the whole Constitution."
Fox News reported that it was the first debate between the two, after Rogers declined a FOX 2 Detroit debate last month citing concerns about the moderator's impartiality. Rogers won the GOP nomination with an endorsement from President Trump. El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination after a primary that included clashes with the party's moderate wing. The general election is in November.
