Sharp Jabs Dominate Final Michigan Senate Debate Between El-Sayed and Rogers

Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers met in Detroit on Wednesday night, Oct. 21, 2026, for their second and final debate in the race for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat. The hour-long debate, broadcast from the WXYZ-TV studios and moderated by editorial director Chuck Stokes, turned personal within minutes. The two men argued over the war in Iran, tariffs on Canada, auto jobs and artificial intelligence, and each accused the other of lying.

The seat is open because Senator Gary Peters is retiring. Whoever wins on Nov. 3, 2026 will make history. El-Sayed, a former Detroit and Wayne County health director from Ann Arbor, would be the first Muslim in the U.S. Senate. Rogers, a former U.S. House member from White Lake and a former FBI agent, would be the first Republican to win a Michigan Senate seat since 1994. Polls show a race too close to call, and the result could help decide which party controls the Senate.

Cost of living came first

The first question was about the cost of living. El-Sayed blamed high gas and grocery prices on President Donald Trump's war in Iran and repeated his pledge to overhaul campaign finance rules. Rogers answered with domestic energy production and a call to make tax cuts on overtime pay and tips permanent. Rogers opened by saying Michigan was in economic trouble and El-Sayed wanted bigger government and higher taxes. El-Sayed said in his opening: "They are trying to distract you."

Iran, and a charge with no clear evidence

El-Sayed said Rogers had promoted war with Iran for years and supported the current war because he stands close to Trump. "He's got a war for everything," El-Sayed said. Rogers responded by asking whether El-Sayed was for America or for terrorist groups overseas, and claimed El-Sayed had donors from Hamas and Hezbollah. The Detroit Free Press noted in its live coverage that there was no clear evidence supporting that claim, and that El-Sayed has repeatedly denounced terrorism. El-Sayed raised a planned $9 million ad buy by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Rogers' behalf and argued that his opponent answers to donors. The committee spent more than $30 million trying to stop El-Sayed winning the Democratic nomination in August.

Tariffs and auto jobs

On trade, Rogers said: "I think it's a mixed bag." He said the tariffs on Canada specifically were not "well thought-through." That is a change from his earlier support for tariffs, and follows an ad in early October in which he called for an end to the tariff war with Canada, Michigan's largest export partner. On auto jobs, Bureau of Labor Statistics data show motor vehicle manufacturing jobs in Michigan were up 2.3 percent in September from a year earlier, while jobs in the much larger auto parts sector were down 1.4 percent.

An AI kill switch

Asked about artificial intelligence, Rogers said he backs a national security framework for AI with oversight of the companies building it, "including maybe even a kill switch" if systems go wrong. He also suggested antitrust exemptions so companies could work together on safety, while saying the United States must stay competitive.

The final stretch

Voting is already under way. As of Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, Michigan voters had returned 789,476 absentee ballots, more than 17,500 ahead of the 2022 pace. More than 2.1 million voters had requested one, up from 1.8 million in 2022. A Marist poll released Wednesday put El-Sayed ahead 50 percent to 48 percent, inside the margin of error. Former President Barack Obama campaigns for El-Sayed in Detroit on Saturday, Oct. 24, and President Trump rallies for Rogers in St. Clair County on Sunday, Oct. 25.