Rogers and El-Sayed clash over Iran, tariffs in first Michigan Senate debate

Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed met on Thursday in Grand Rapids for their first debate in the race for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, tangling over the war in Iran, gas prices and tariffs, NBC News reported. The Associated Press described the debate as combative, with the two candidates continuously attacking each other. Moderator Rick Albin repeatedly tried to rein them in. "I'd like to be a part of the debate, too," Albin said, later adding: "In 30 years of doing debates, I've never seen it continue during the commercial. But it did." [ 2 , 3 , 11 ]

Both candidates said they would support a pause on the federal gas tax, which led into a discussion of the conflict with Iran, according to NBC News. Rogers, who initially supported the war, said: "I do believe it's going to come to an end. We need it to come to an end." He said he had called the White House this week to push for a "deal" with Canada to end the tariff war, and said Immigration and Customs Enforcement's "efforts in Minnesota were probably not appropriate." [ 3 , 11 ]

NBC News reported that El-Sayed sought to portray Rogers as a loyalist to President Donald Trump who has changed positions out of political necessity, while Rogers tried to frame El-Sayed as a "con man" making promises he cannot pay for. Each taunted the other over real estate: a home Rogers has in Florida and property El-Sayed's wife owns in the United Arab Emirates. The New York Post reported that El-Sayed called a question on whether Iran or Israel is the greater threat to the U.S. a "ridiculous hypothetical," saying "both of them have proven dangerous in their own way," and that Rogers criticized him for not issuing a statement on the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack. The Post also reported Rogers accused El-Sayed of leaving voters with the impression that he practiced medicine. [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]

The seat is open because Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat, is not seeking re-election. Rogers, a former congressman, ran unchallenged in the Aug. 4 primary after losing the Senate race two years ago to then-Rep. Elissa Slotkin by just under 20,000 votes. El-Sayed, a progressive and former public health official, defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in the primary by less than a percentage point. The general election is on Nov. 3. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 11 ]

Before the debate, Rogers broke with Trump on two issues, saying in September the war with Iran needed to "end quickly" and releasing an ad on Wednesday criticizing tariffs on Canada. Trump attacked El-Sayed in a social media post late Wednesday, and El-Sayed responded that "He thinks he can use my name and my faith to distract us," PBS NewsHour reported. Rogers had declined to take part in a debate last month, according to The Hill. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 ]

The Hill reported El-Sayed led by 1 point in a Fox News poll and 7 points in a Suffolk University survey last month, and by 4.1 percent in the Decision Desk HQ average. The AP reported he trails nearly 2-to-1 in ad spending. [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 7 ]