Michigan Senate candidates clash in first debate over Middle East threats

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers clashed on Thursday during their first debate in the race for an open United States Senate seat in Michigan, according to reports by the Associated Press, PBS NewsHour, and the New York Post. The evening debate took place in Grand Rapids after weeks of online sparring between the two candidates. [1][2][3]

During the debate, El-Sayed refused to answer directly when asked whether Iran or Israel poses the greater threat to the United States, calling the question a ridiculous hypothetical, according to the New York Post and Algemeiner. The New York Post reported that El-Sayed said Israel had lobbied the United States to go to war with Iran. The Killeen Daily Herald noted that the debate grew hostile quickly. [1][9][11]

Rogers criticized El-Sayed for a lack of clarity regarding terrorism and for failing to issue a statement on the three-year anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, according to the New York Post. [1]

The candidates are competing for the seat vacated by Democratic incumbent Gary Peters, who is not seeking a third term. El-Sayed is the former health director for Wayne County, while Rogers is a former congressman who ran unchallenged in the Republican primary on August 4. [3][12]