Michigan Senate Debate Descends Into Chaos as Candidates Trade Insults and El-Sayed’s Birth Mother Is Dragged Into the Fight

The Democratic and Republican candidates in this year’s U.S. Senate race in Michigan — Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers — had an especially ugly debate on Thursday night as the two men threw personal insults and attacked each other for their records on various issues, including the war in Iran, President Trump’s tariffs, and American support for Israel. The two men have been locked in a bitter fight since the summer, when Dr. El-Sayed narrowly defeated a moderate congresswoman to win the Democratic Senate nomination. Michigan is viewed as one of the few pickup opportunities that Republicans have in this year’s Senate races. According to polling, Dr. El-Sayed is currently leading Mr. Rogers by a slim margin. Mr. Rogers, a former congressman who served in the House from 2001 to 2015, was quick to attack Dr. El-Sayed at the outset, accusing him of lying about his past work experience. Dr. El-Sayed, who has never been a board-certified physician, once referred to himself as such, leading Mr. Rogers to accuse him of being a “con man.” Dr. El-Sayed has a medical doctorate. “You’re gonna find out that this guy is not what he says he is,” Mr. Rogers said early in the debate. “He is actually selling the best con I think I’ve ever seen.” Dr. El-Sayed pointed to the degree he earned at Columbia University and said Mr. Rogers was trying to distract from the issues. Dr. El-Sayed accused Mr. Rogers of being in the Senate race for one reason: to appease Mr. Trump. Mr. Rogers said he was in the race because of high utility rights and insurance costs, and the steep decline in Michigan manufacturing jobs over the last quarter-century. “You did that, man,” Dr. El-Sayed shot back, pointing to Mr. Rogers’ longtime support for NAFTA during his time in Congress. “That was your policy.”The two also sparred on foreign policy, with Dr. El-Sayed insisting that he does not support any American military aid for Israel — neither offensive nor defensive. “I don’t want our tax dollars buying weapons for other countries,” Dr. El-Sayed said, arguing that the only “unconditional” aid the federal government should be offering was to Michigan families and students. Mr. Rogers defended Israel during the debate, calling it a key national security partner that deserved American support. On the trade war with Canada, Dr. El-Sayed accused Mr. Rogers of running from his record, including his past support for Mr. Trump’s import taxes. Mr. Rogers has called for scaling back the tariffs on some goods once the Canadian government makes a deal with Mr. Trump’s team. Dr. El-Sayed called the tariffs “ham-fisted, self-serving, and chaotic,” and argued that tariffs could still be used to build an “industrial policy” to “protect” American markets. “The reason he is flip-flopping has nothing to do with policy, it has nothing to do with your costs — it has everything to do with his sagging poll numbers,” Dr. El-Sayed told the camera. “Weak. Cowardly. Won’t stand up until his poll numbers drop,” Dr. El-Sayed said of Mr. Rogers. “The only thing he cares about is his power.”The debate grew so ugly at times that on multiple occasions, the moderator had to urge both men to hold their tongues so they could discuss the issues. “Can you wrap this up? I’m going to ask the next question,” the moderator, Rick Albin, told both men as they were talking over each other. At one point, Mr. Albin pleaded with them, asking “Please, let’s try to keep this orderly.”Mr. Albin said after a commercial break that the two men had kept arguing while the cameras were off — something Mr. Albin said he had never experienced during his 30-year career. Mr. Albin’s pleas went unanswered, however, as Mr. Rogers and Dr. El-Sayed continued to go after one another in personal terms. At one point, Mr. Rogers began to bring up Dr. El-Sayed’s birth mother, who did not raise her son. Dr. El-Sayed’s mother once worked for an organization, the Islamic American Relief Agency, which in 2004 was designated by the Treasury Department as one that supported terrorist groups, including Hamas and Al Qaeda. Dr. El-Sayed’s mother has never been accused of wrongdoing. “Go ahead and say it,” Dr. El-Sayed told Mr. Rogers as the Republican began to bring up the Democrat’s birth mother. “Let’s do this. Let’s open up this can of worms,” Mr. Rogers declared during cross-talk. “I’ll tell you what my mother did, she was a small—”Dr. El-Sayed cut in, asking, “Are you going after my mom?”“I’m not going after your mom,” Mr. Rogers responded. “That’s exactly what you’re doing,” Dr. El-Sayed shot back. Mr. Rogers then said he was only going after the organization where Dr. El-Sayed’s mother had worked. “That’s your mom,” Mr. Rogers said. “My mom worked at a small chamber of commerce.”“Again, he wants this to be about anything other than his own record,” Dr. El-Sayed argued. “He’s got nothing to actually say about me.”

Michigan Senate Debate Descends Into Chaos as Candidates Trade Insults and El-Sayed’s Birth Mother Is Dragged Into the Fight

Michigan Senate Debate Descends Into Chaos as Candidates Trade Insults and El-Sayed’s Birth Mother Is Dragged Into the Fight

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