Miami
Mike Rogers defended skipping a televised Michigan Senate event
The Republican candidate said he never agreed to take part and argued the moderator was not neutral. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed said Rogers was avoiding scrutiny over his record and his support for Donald Trump.
Mike Rogers defended his decision not to attend the Sept. 15 televised event with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. As reported by CBS News Miami, Rogers said in an interview with CBS News Detroit that the program was a town hall rather than a debate and that his campaign had never committed to it.
El-Sayed did appear at Tuesday’s event, hosted by FOX 2 Detroit. The station said it invited both candidates on Aug. 5 and that the Democrat accepted the following day. Rogers’ campaign, however, said it never agreed to participate.
According to CBS News Miami, Rogers also accused the moderator of favoritism and objected to what he described as an uneven setup in the television studio. He denied breaking any commitment and criticized the plan to leave an empty podium for him, calling that approach unprofessional.
El-Sayed answered that Rogers was trying to avoid a direct confrontation over his record and his backing of President Donald Trump. After the event, the Democrat said his opponent did not want to face questions about tariffs involving Canada or the cost of war. He also criticized Rogers for making time to speak at a Republican convention in Dallas while declining the Detroit event.
The race is one of the most closely watched in the country. CBS News Miami reported that the UVA Center for Politics rates it as a toss-up. The seat is opening because Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring, and the outcome is critical to control of the upper chamber.
Rogers said voters will still have opportunities to see both candidates together in Michigan. Both have agreed to debates scheduled for Oct. 8 and Oct. 21. CBS News Miami also noted that El-Sayed had pushed for more encounters and, on Aug. 5, when CBS News projected he had won the Democratic primary, challenged Rogers to hold five debates. More recently, Rogers made his case at a Detroit rally on Sunday, while El-Sayed outlined his priorities on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan and is set to meet Democratic senators at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
