El-Sayed and Rogers clash in final Michigan Senate debate
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers met Wednesday in their final debate for Michigan's open Senate seat.
Polls show a tight race that could decide which party controls the Senate.
Background
Abdul El-Sayed is a former Wayne County health official and former executive director of the Detroit Health Department; Mike Rogers is a former congressman. They are competing for Michigan's open Senate seat being left by retiring Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat, in a contest that could determine control of the chamber. The debate, held at WXYZ Channel 7 in Southfield, was the second and final meeting before the Nov. 3 midterm election, and it was calmer than their first faceoff two weeks earlier in Grand Rapids.
How it unfolded
- Oct 8, 2026The two candidates hold their first debate at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, described in the material as a brawling, chippy faceoff.
- Oct 21, 2026El-Sayed and Rogers meet for their second and final debate at WXYZ Channel 7 in Southfield, sparring over the economy, national security, health care, tariffs and Social Security.
- Nov 3, 2026The midterm election is scheduled, with the Michigan Senate seat on the ballot.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Decision Desk HQ forecasts El-Sayed has a 67 percent chance of winning the seat, while several polls show him with a narrow lead.
- El-Sayed
- El-Sayed sought to tie Rogers to President Trump at every turn, saying Rogers begged Trump to campaign for him and is backed by corporate donors.
- Rogers
- Rogers questioned El-Sayed's loyalty to the country and sought to tie him to the Muslim Brotherhood and democratic socialists, while distancing himself from Trump on the Iran war and Canadian tariffs.
Still unverified
Rogers claimed El-Sayed is tied to the Muslim Brotherhood and to terrorist groups overseas, and suggested an open letter El-Sayed signed in 2012 meant he wanted to defund police in Egypt; El-Sayed is not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, though he supports policies it backs.