GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers held their first televised U.S. Senate debate Thursday night, Oct. 8, inside a Grand Rapids, Mich., television studio, with 26 days left until Election Day.
The one-hour matchup originated in Grand Rapids and was carried on stations across Michigan. About 50 demonstrators supporting El-Sayed gathered outside the station ahead of the debate.
Both candidates said they support temporarily suspending the federal gas tax as prices climb. El-Sayed tied pump prices to the war in Iran and said he does not feel like the country is winning when he fills a tank. Rogers defended the military campaign and said operations have set back Iran’s nuclear program by at least 20 years.
The exchange grew personal. Rogers accused El-Sayed of selling voters a con, while El-Sayed said Rogers was flip-flopping because of sagging poll numbers. They also sparred over Medicare for All, with Rogers warning of higher taxes and El-Sayed arguing coverage would become more affordable.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain appeared in the spin room for El-Sayed and criticized Rogers for saying some Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics were probably not appropriate. El-Sayed later said he and Rogers kept talking through a commercial break about a Florida home Rogers owns.
Grand Rapids City Hall at 300 Monroe Ave NW anchors downtown civic life as the open Senate seat left by retiring Sen. Gary Peters draws national attention to West Michigan voters.
