Rogers and El-Sayed Trade Sharp Words in Michigan's Final Senate Debate

Michigan's Senate candidates met for the second and final time Wednesday night. Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed clashed over the war with Iran, El-Sayed's past correspondence with Egypt's former government under Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood, health care, tariffs, AI regulation and guns.

The timing gave every exchange extra weight. The debate came less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 election, in a race described as neck-and-neck and one that could help decide which party controls the Senate.

One caution for readers: no transcript or video of the debate could be located for this story. The account below relies on reporting from Fox News and CBS News, plus other outlets as noted, and has not been checked against the full record. The order of the exchanges is not established in that reporting, so the sections below are organized by topic.

Iran, and a Question From the First Debate

El-Sayed called the Iran war "aimless" and said Rogers backs it. "He's got a war for everything, and he won't back off the war now," El-Sayed said, according to Fox News.

Rogers, who has himself called for the war to end, recalled that in their first debate El-Sayed would not say whether Israel or Iran posed the bigger threat. CBS reported that El-Sayed had called that question a "ridiculous hypothetical" at the time.

This time El-Sayed said, "No doubt that Iran has posed a threat," as the Daily Wire reported. CBS reported that he argued the danger had been contained by the Obama-era nuclear deal, which Trump ended in his first term. El-Sayed wants a War Powers Resolution and blames the war for high consumer prices. Rogers warned that gas prices could climb further if Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz or builds a nuclear weapon.

The Morsi Letter and the Brotherhood Question

Rogers cited a 2012 letter from El-Sayed to Egypt's then-president, Mohamed Morsi, urging him to "purge the media and police," according to the Daily Wire, which cited the Washington Free Beacon, and The Hill, which cited the New York Times. Fox News reported that Rogers said El-Sayed asked Morsi to defund the police. According to the New York Times as cited by The Hill, the letter is real; its framing is contested.

Rogers also said El-Sayed has Hamas-linked donors, a claim The Hill reported. It comes from Rogers and his campaign, and no verification of it has been found.

El-Sayed denies any ties to the Brotherhood and has called the attacks "shameful." Fox News Digital said it found no link between El-Sayed and the group, while noting critics point to his ties to the Muslim Students Association, which appears in a memo by Brotherhood member Mohamed Akram. CBS noted that the New York Times and other outlets reported in July on social media posts by El-Sayed's half-sister suggesting his mother supported the Brotherhood. El-Sayed says he was not raised by his birth mother and that his mother is a nurse in Missouri. The issue carries extra weight because President Trump designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organization last year.

Security Clearance, Medicare for All and Tariffs

CBS quoted Rogers during the debate as saying, "that is a risk to our national security." The notes do not say what that remark referred to. After the debate, CBS reported, Rogers said he questions whether El-Sayed could get a security clearance. Fox also quoted El-Sayed telling Rogers, "It's really quite beneath you." The context of that remark was not available.

On health care, Rogers attacked Medicare for All and said, "you'll be lucky to have a damn pair of pants," according to CBS. El-Sayed said big corporations are "buying his campaign," CBS reported, and Bloomberg reported that he implied Rogers is Trump's puppet, bought by billionaires.

The Hill reported that Rogers has distanced himself from Trump, whose approval is low. On tariffs, CBS reported that El-Sayed is open to some duties, while Rogers called them a "mixed bag" and questioned the trade war with Canada.

The candidates also took on AI regulation and the Second Amendment. Fox reported that Rogers claimed El-Sayed said the "quiet part out loud" on AI regulation, and the Daily Wire quoted Rogers asking, "you want to ban the Second Amendment?" Details of those exchanges could not be confirmed for this story.