Michigan: Rogers and El-Sayed clash over Trump and loyalty in final debate
Michigan's Senate race is close and could help decide control of the chamber. The final debate focused on Trump, the Iran war, tariffs and health care.
Archive image · Photo: Hudson Institute / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
With less than two weeks to go before the midterm elections, Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed met in Southfield for their second and final televised debate in Michigan's U.S. Senate race. CBS News called it one of the most closely watched contests, one that could help decide which party controls the Senate. Rogers, a former congressman, again linked El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood, which El-Sayed denies. He would be the first Muslim U.S. senator.
"Are you for America, or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?" Rogers asked. El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, called that "shameful" and said he was proud of a Constitution that guarantees everyone the right to pray as they choose. He called Rogers "a sock puppet" for President Donald Trump and blamed Trump's Iran war for higher gas and grocery prices. Instead of a senator who backs the war, "we need a War Powers Resolution," he said.
Rogers countered that El-Sayed wants to make everything about Trump and attacked his Medicare for All plan: "You'll be lucky to have a damn pair of pants when you're done." He called Trump's tariffs a "mixed bag" and questioned those on Canadian goods. Former President Barack Obama is due to rally in Detroit on Saturday, while Trump holds a rally for Rogers in Port Huron on Sunday.