El-Sayed vs. Rogers gets nasty in Michigan

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The Michigan Senate debate between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers on Thursday night quickly got personal as the candidates sparred over not just their political differences but their personal backgrounds.

The debate, hosted by Nexstar affiliate WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, is the first of two debates they will take part in before Election Day; the next one will take place on Oct. 21. Nexstar also owns The Hill.

El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, and Rogers, a former congressman, repeatedly interrupted each other during the hourlong debate. The event was so contentious that the candidates’ arguments continued even during the brief commercial break.

“In 30 years of doing debates, I’ve never seen it continue during the commercial, but it did,” said moderator Rick Albin.

El-Sayed’s attacks on Rogers largely focused on accusations that he would be a “rubber stamp” for President Trump and corporate interests and was carpetbagging with his Senate bid.

“I’ve been absolutely clear. I want our tax dollars spent here to provide schools here, and by here, I mean Michigan, not Florida,” El-Sayed said.

Rogers had lived in Michigan for years and represented the state during his time in the House but had moved to Florida before his first unsuccessful Senate run in 2024.

The Republican nominee’s attacks on El-Sayed ranged from accusations that he was misrepresenting himself as a medical professional to baselessly alleging that he could have terrorist family members.

El-Sayed has received a medical degree from Columbia University and a doctorate in public health from Oxford University but had received scrutiny for calling himself a “physician” despite not practicing medicine.

When Rogers was asked about his position on guardrails surrounding Flock cameras, he said they were important in catching people suspected of terrorism.

“And why would that bother you? Well, if you have someone in your family that might be on —” he said, before El-Sayed cut in.

“Go ahead and say it,” El-Sayed said. “You’ve been tiptoeing around it the whole time, just say it.”

Other major Senate debates taking place simultaneously also got into testy territory with personal swipes.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Maine Democratic nominee Troy Jackson demanded apologies from each other after Jackson claimed that she and her husband have profited from the Iran war. Jackson didn’t offer specific evidence for his claim. Reporting from The Maine Independent has revealed that Collins’s husband owns stock in defense contractors.

“I mean, Senator Collins and her husband [are] making money, more, off of this war, and so is a whole bunch of other people, and that’s why this doesn’t, doesn’t stop,” Jackson said.

“That is absolutely outrageous, and you owe me an apology,” the senator shot back.

“No, you owe me an apology,” Jackson responded.

Personal accusations also flew in the Georgia Senate debate, with Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) denouncing GOP nominee Rep. Mike Collins (Ga.) as a “bigot.”

“If John Lewis were marching today from Selma to Montgomery, Mike Collins would be grabbing a billy club,” Ossoff said, referencing past social media posts from Collins.

One such post included a video from the University of Mississippi in 2024 in which a Black woman is surrounded by white students who mimic ape-like motions and make monkey sounds.

“Ole Miss taking care of business,” Collins wrote at the time.

Ossoff also accused Collins of promoting “neo-Nazi” propaganda. Collins responded that he condemns racism, antisemitism and hate.

The congressman hit back at Ossoff, calling him a “trust fund kid” who doesn’t understand the financial struggles that average people are dealing with.

“You know the problem is, and Jon Ossoff won’t understand this because he doesn’t have to worry about health care,” Collins said. “He doesn’t have to worry about trying to buy health care insurance for his family. He never will.”

Ossoff responded that Collins “inherited” his seat in Congress, as the congressman’s father was Mac Collins, who served in the House for 12 years.

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The USS Abraham Lincoln docked in San Diego Thursday after a grueling 322-day deployment to the Middle East, marked by dwindling food supplies and concerns over service members’ mental health. The deployment, expected to end in the summer, was extended to support the Iran war.

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