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5 things to watch for in Thursday’s Michigan debate showdown

Rogers is preparing to debate Abdul El-Sayed in a competitive Michigan Senate race.

5 things to watch for in Thursday’s Michigan debate showdown
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This article1 analysis · Oct 8, 2026
The Hill
Oct 8, 2026
tl;dr

Former Rep. Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed are set to debate in a Michigan Senate race that could affect which party controls the Senate. The preview highlights voter groups, foreign-policy disagreements and how each candidate may address Donald Trump.

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Mike Rogers R · MI
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This story reports what happened without casting Rogers in a good or bad light, so readers don’t rate it and it doesn’t count toward Rogers’s record.

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Republican Senate candidate in Michigan

PRIMARY SUBJECT

Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan

El-Sayed's version of this story ↗

Michigan representative discussed in connection with the Democratic primary

Donald Trump
R · President of the United States

President of the United States, discussed as a factor in the Michigan race

Former president, referenced in connection with El-Sayed’s 2024 appeal to Arab American voters

Kamala Harris
Former U.S. Senator (D-CA)

Former vice president, referenced in connection with El-Sayed’s 2024 appeal to Arab American voters

Part of a bigger story

27 OUTLETS
Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed Hold First Michigan Senate Debate

Outlets agree Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed held their first debate in Michigan’s Senate race, trading personal attacks and clashing over policy issues. Left-leaning outlets focus on Rogers’s attacks on El-Sayed’s mother and related fact-checking. Center outlets portray a combative exchange over policy and personal claims, with some checking assertions from both candidates and others emphasizing the foreign-policy clash. Right-leaning outlets foreground Rogers’s challenges to El-Sayed over foreign ties and positions, with some coverage portraying Rogers as performing well.

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