El-Sayed and Rogers Face Off in Final Debate of Michigan's Increasingly Personal Senate Race
A Final Clash in Detroit
On the evening of October 21, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers met for their second and final scheduled debate at WXYZ-TV's studios in Detroit, with the race for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat entering its closing stretch. The hour-long debate, moderated by editorial director Chuck Stokes alongside anchors Carolyn Clifford and Alicia Smith, aired live at 7 p.m. ET on WXYZ-TV Channel 7 in Detroit and WXMI Fox 17 in Grand Rapids. The seat is open because Democratic incumbent Gary Peters is not seeking reelection, and both parties have poured tens of millions of dollars into the contest.
An Ann Arbor Doctor vs. a Former FBI Man
The First Debate Set a Combative Tone
The October 8 debate in Grand Rapids, hosted by WOOD-TV, devolved into an hour of interruptions and insults. El-Sayed called Rogers "weak," "cowardly" and a "sock puppet for the Trump administration," while Rogers called him a "glitchy AI chatbot," a "con man," and questioned his medical credentials. Rogers accused El-Sayed of ties to groups and donors supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah and al-Qaida, offering no evidence. The candidates also clashed over the Iran war, the Canada trade war, immigration, healthcare and cost of living. El-Sayed blamed high gas prices on the Iran war and floated price controls on domestic oil; Rogers rejected price controls, proposed a diesel rebate for farmers and a temporary pause on diesel exports. Moderator Brett Albin said the two kept arguing through a commercial break, something he had not seen in 30 years of hosting debates.
Polls Show a Dead Heat
Prices, Schools and Outside Cash
November 3: A First for Michigan Either Way
Early in-person voting opens before the November 3 election. A Rogers win would make him the first Republican to represent Michigan in the Senate since Spencer Abraham lost his reelection bid in 2000; an El-Sayed win would send the first Muslim American to the U.S. Senate. Scripps News planned special coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on October 21 ahead of the debate broadcast.
