Michigan Senate candidates clash over Iran war, tariffs and immigration

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Michigan’s Senate candidates agreed Thursday that the war in Iran should end and the federal gas tax should be paused. They spent much of their first televised debate fighting over who bore responsibility for rising costs — and whether either could be trusted to change them.

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed repeatedly accused Republican Mike Rogers of backing President Donald Trump’s policies until they became politically costly. Rogers portrayed El-Sayed’s proposals as unaffordable and accused him of misleading voters. The exchanges grew so heated that moderator Rick Albin interrupted: “I’d like to be a part of the debate, too.”

The race for the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is closely watched as both parties compete for control of the Senate. El-Sayed won a contentious Democratic primary; Rogers is a former congressman endorsed by Trump.

Both candidates supported a pause in the federal gas tax amid high fuel prices. El-Sayed blamed the Iran war, which he said Rogers had initially hailed as a “win, win, win.” Rogers, who initially supported the conflict, said it was time to end it. He argued that Iran’s nuclear program and conventional forces had been badly weakened.

“This is what happens when you start wars you never should be fighting,” El-Sayed said, according to Al Jazeera. He advocated diplomacy and said he did not want Israel to push the United States into war. Asked whether Israel or Iran posed a greater threat, he called the question a “ridiculous hypothetical.” CBS News reported that he said both had “proven dangerous in their own way.”

Rogers defended U.S. support for Israel, though he said talk of using nuclear weapons would cost the country his support. He also challenged El-Sayed over his response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. El-Sayed said he had condemned the attack but had not made it “political theater.”

On trade, Rogers said he wanted an end to the tariff dispute with Canada and had spoken with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about reaching a deal. He said some tariffs were too high, while Canada should also remove duties on U.S. goods. El-Sayed accused Rogers of reversing his earlier support for Trump’s tariffs only because of falling poll numbers. He cited an estimate that the policy costs Michigan households $5,600 a year.

The candidates also split over health care. Rogers called El-Sayed’s support for Medicare for All a costly threat to private insurance. El-Sayed said families could keep private coverage if they wanted it.

Asked about immigration enforcement in Minnesota, where federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens this year, Rogers said the public operation was “probably not appropriate” and agents should conduct raids quietly. El-Sayed, who has called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said an undocumented immigrant convicted of a violent crime should be deported, but not through actions that violate constitutional rights.

The hostility extended to their finances: El-Sayed raised Rogers’ Florida home, while Rogers pointed to rental property owned by El-Sayed’s wife in the United Arab Emirates. “At least Florida is in the United States,” Rogers said. El-Sayed replied: “It’s not in Michigan, my guy.”