Politics

Rogers and El-Sayed clash over foreign policy and tariffs in first debate

The Michigan Senate candidates held their first debate amid close polling and personal political attacks.

Updated Oct 9, 2026 · 16:18 UTC7 reports

The short version

Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed met in Grand Rapids on Thursday for their first debate in Michigan's open U.S. Senate race.[PBS NewsHour · NBC News · Fox News]
The candidates traded sharp criticism over trade tariffs on Canada, energy prices, and foreign policy disputes.[NBC News]
The matchup follows attacks from Donald Trump against El-Sayed, while recent polling shows the nominees in a statistical dead heat.[PBS NewsHour · NBC News · Fox News]

Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed participated in their first debate for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat on Thursday in Grand Rapids.[PBS NewsHour · NBC News · Fox News]
President Donald Trump posted attacks against Abdul El-Sayed on Truth Social, referring to him as Mohammed and stating he goes back to the days of the jihad.[PBS NewsHour · NBC News]
Abdul El-Sayed responded to Donald Trump's comments by arguing the president was targeting his name and religion to distract from harmful policies.[PBS NewsHour · NBC News]
Mike Rogers released a campaign ad opposing the trade war after tariffs placed 15% to 50% duties on $20 billion of U.S. exports to Canada.[NBC News]
Abdul El-Sayed pointed to an estimate indicating Canadian tariff policies cost households in Michigan $5,600 each year.[NBC News]
A late-September Fox News poll found Abdul El-Sayed leading Mike Rogers 50% to 49% among likely voters.[Fox News]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.