Rogers and El-Sayed trade personal attacks in first Michigan Senate debate
Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed clashed over the Iran war, gas prices and Canada tariffs in their first Senate debate in Grand Rapids.
By
Priya Venkataraman
Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed spent the first debate of Michigan’s open Senate race trading personal attacks on Thursday night in Grand Rapids. The two men argued over the Iran war, gas prices and tariffs on trade with Canada, and the moderator had to plead with them more than once to keep the exchange orderly.
In brief
- The two men argued over the Iran war, gas prices and tariffs on trade with Canada, and the moderator had to plead with them more than once to keep the exchange orderly.
- El-Sayed countered by reminding voters of Rogers’ earlier support.
- Most polls show a razor-thin race, and the Associated Press reported before the debate that El-Sayed trails nearly 2-to-1 in ad spending.
The hourlong event was hosted by WOOD, the NBC affiliate in Grand Rapids, and is the first of two debates planned between the candidates. Moderator Rick Albin intervened repeatedly. “I’d like to be a part of the debate, too,” he said during one stretch of crosstalk, according to the Associated Press report carried by PBS NewsHour. At another point he told the candidates, “I appreciate your passion, but please, let’s try to keep this orderly,” as CBS News recorded. The arguing did not stop even when the cameras did: Albin said that after three decades of moderating debates, he had never before seen one carry on through a commercial break.
The insults came in nearly every exchange. El-Sayed called Rogers “weak,” “cowardly” and a “sock puppet for the Trump administration.” Rogers, for his part, called El-Sayed a “glitchy AI chatbot,” accused him of running a “con” and said he would “say anything to win.” Each also needled the other about real estate, with El-Sayed pointing to a waterfront home Rogers owns in Florida and Rogers raising the rental property that El-Sayed’s wife holds in the United Arab Emirates. “At least Florida is in the United States,” Rogers said. El-Sayed shot back: “It’s not in Michigan, my guy.”
Gas prices, health care and tariffs
The first question set the tone for the policy fights. Albin asked whether, with gas prices high because of the war with Iran, the candidates would back a pause in the federal gas tax. Both said yes. El-Sayed then used the answer to go after his rival: “It’s the war in Iran, a war that has been cheer-led by my opponent since the beginning.” He added that when he fills his own tank, he does not feel like he is winning. Rogers, who initially supported the war but has said in recent weeks that it needs to end, told the audience that he believes it will come to an end and that “this would be the time to wrap it up.” He argued that the war can wind down now because Iran’s nuclear program and its conventional forces have been badly weakened. El-Sayed, who called the conflict a “stupid war,” said he supports a diplomatic solution and pointed to the Obama-era agreement that limited Iran’s uranium enrichment, a deal that President Donald Trump ended during his first term. In his view, Rogers has “a direct line to the president” and is not using it to end the fighting.
Rogers answered by turning to health care. He attacked El-Sayed’s support for Medicare for All, calling it “a disaster” and saying, “We cannot afford Abdul.” He argued the plan would mean the government taking over private insurance. El-Sayed replied that families who want to keep their private coverage can do so, and Rogers shot back that this was news to him.
Tariffs were the next big topic, and they matter in a state that borders Canada and trades heavily with it. NBC News reported that a new round of Trump tariffs took effect last month, with duties ranging from 15% to 50% applied to $20 billion in American goods sold into Canada. Rogers once supported that push but released an ad on Wednesday calling for an end to the tariff war. At the debate he said he had phoned the administration this week and spoken with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about getting a deal done. “I’d like to see it end,” he said.
El-Sayed countered by reminding voters of Rogers’ earlier support. According to NBC, he also cited a study estimating what the tariffs have cost Michigan households. The dollar figure came from El-Sayed himself, who said the Canadian tariff policy was something “we are paying $5,600 a year for,” and the report does not say which study he meant. He then accused Rogers of changing course for political reasons, saying the reversal had nothing to do with policy and “everything to do with his sagging poll numbers.”
Immigration, Israel and Iran
Immigration produced a rare moment of distance between Rogers and the administration. Asked whether the immigration crackdown had gone too far, Rogers said this year’s operation in Minnesota was “probably not appropriate,” though he also said agents were targeting dangerous criminals who were in the country illegally. The AP noted that the surge of agents into the state was followed by the shooting deaths of two protesters. El-Sayed, who has called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was asked about deporting an undocumented immigrant who has committed a violent crime. He answered yes, but said it does not require violating the whole Constitution.
Israel and Iran drew some of the sharpest moments. Pressed on whether he sees Israel or Iran as the bigger threat, El-Sayed called the question a “ridiculous hypothetical” and said both have proven dangerous in their own way. He said he does not want the United States to be pushed into war by Israel and would rather spend money on schools, health care and child care at home. Rogers presented himself as a firm supporter of Israel and criticized El-Sayed for not issuing a statement on the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. El-Sayed replied that he had condemned the attack but did not want to turn it into “political theater.”
Events outside the hall also shaped the evening. Late Wednesday, Trump attacked El-Sayed on Truth Social, calling him “Mohammed” and a “RADICAL Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer.” El-Sayed, who was born in the United States to Egyptian immigrant parents, replied that the president knows his name and uses it every day. On Thursday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appeared with El-Sayed, their first joint appearance since she endorsed Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary.
The race behind the debate
The seat is up for grabs because Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat, is retiring, and both parties see the contest as pivotal to control of the Senate. Rogers, a former congressman, ran unchallenged in the Aug. 4 Republican primary after losing a previous Senate race to Elissa Slotkin by just under 20,000 votes. El-Sayed, a progressive and former public health official, defeated Stevens in the Democratic primary by less than a percentage point. Most polls show a razor-thin race, and the Associated Press reported before the debate that El-Sayed trails nearly 2-to-1 in ad spending. The general election is Nov. 3.
