Michigan’s U.S. Senate race grew more heated this week after Republican candidate Mike Rogers accused his Democratic opponent, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, of failing to condemn extremism, singling out El-Sayed’s association with commentator Hasan Piker.
Speaking at the Michigan GOP’s midterm convention, Rogers told the crowd, “When somebody tries to blow up children, we don’t want a politician explaining away the terrorist motivations. Michigan needs a senator fighting for the victims.”
Rogers continued, “You don’t sympathize with terrorists. You don’t sanitize extremism, and you sure don’t ask the people of Michigan to send you to the United States Senate while surrounding yourself with people who despise America.”
He went further in criticizing his opponent directly. “Abdul El Sayed may be comfortable with that crowd. I certainly am not. He’s a con man. I’m a law man. He wants to apologize for America. I want to defend America. He wants to represent Palestine. I want to represent Michigan,” Rogers said.
The comments stem from El-Sayed’s association with Piker, who has said “America deserved 9/11.” Rather than denouncing the remark, El-Sayed said it needed to be understood in “context.”
El-Sayed pushed back on Rogers’s line of attack, calling it a distraction from substantive issues. “It’s sad. He doesn’t really want to talk about any of the issues people are really facing… If he thinks that the issue is a streamer in California, then he’s got another thing coming,” El-Sayed said.
Rogers Escalates After Primary Win
After El-Sayed secured his party’s nomination, Rogers issued a statement calling him an “extremist” who “wants to empty prisons and put murderers and sex offenders back on our streets.”
“He pledged his support to the Muslim Brotherhood and campaigns with people who refuse to condemn terrorism. And, he advocated for the largest tax hike in American history — costing families already struggling to make ends meet over $3,000 more per year,” Rogers said. “Abdul doesn’t represent a vision for the future. He’s leading a movement grounded in ideological fanaticism. His agenda would make our communities less safe and our state less affordable.”
Rogers, who has emphasized his background in counterterrorism work, drew a contrast with his own record. “I spent years hunting terrorists and bringing Osama bin Laden to justice. Never in a million years did I think that I would be running against someone who believes America deserved 9/11,” he said.
The exchange marks one of the most pointed clashes yet in a Michigan Senate contest that is drawing national attention as both parties fight for control of the chamber.
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