Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers asserted during the final televised debate in the Michigan race on October 21, 2026, that some Jewish Democrats are “literally afraid” of his opponent, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, pointing to campus tensions and policy rhetoric. The clash, hosted by local news channel WXYZ in Southfield, Michigan, brought sharp divisions over foreign policy, campaign finance, and family background to the forefront as both campaigns intensified outreach to Jewish voters in the closing weeks of the contest.
Debate Clashes Over Voter Anxiety and Foreign Policy
Speaking from the stage at WXYZ Channel 7, Rogers claimed that Jewish voters in the state were defecting because they found El-Sayed’s platform too extreme. “We’re doing exceptionally well with Jewish Democrats who are literally afraid,” Rogers said during the Detroit-area debate, repeating a theme he also emphasized in his closing statement. “I’ve talked to ones with tears in their eyes about the future of their kids and grandkids, because [of] the anger and division that he is laying out on the street.”
Rogers connected the sentiment directly to campus climate, stating that Jewish Democrats are “afraid for their children when their daughters can’t wear their Star of David walking across Michigan’s campus.” He added, “My opponent’s rhetoric, his vitriol, is having consequences.”
El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, did not directly address Jewish voters during his speaking turns. While Israel received relatively less attention than in previous debates, El-Sayed pivoted to the role of outside campaign spending, targeting the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC. Citing a report published earlier Wednesday by The New York Times, El-Sayed criticized Rogers over plans by AIPAC to contribute up to $9 million to a pro-Rogers super PAC. “That’s what you get when you have an AIPAC-backed politician,” El-Sayed said.
AIPAC announced on the same day that it would halt direct candidate endorsements and campaign contributions through its PAC, shifting its political activity to independent expenditure spending via an affiliated super PAC. An AIPAC spokesperson declined to comment to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency regarding the reported spending on Rogers.
Foreign policy tensions extended to Iran. When asked if Iran poses a significant threat to the United States, El-Sayed stated that “there’s no doubt that Iran has posed a threat,” arguing that the danger had been successfully contained under the Obama-era nuclear agreement before President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. in 2018. El-Sayed accused Rogers of “having cheered this war all along.”
Rogers countered by accusing El-Sayed of refusing to condemn Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “My opponent can’t even condemn the IRGC, which is the terrorist enforcement arm of Iran, and doesn’t believe Iran is any more dangerous than Israel,” Rogers said, referencing remarks El-Sayed previously made at a campaign town hall and a prior debate.
Scrutiny Over Family History and Past Letters
The debate also featured heated exchanges regarding El-Sayed’s family background and past political statements, amplifying a line of attack that has gained traction among Republicans. Rogers accused El-Sayed of having family ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, citing social media posts from the candidate’s half-sister regarding their mother’s past work.
El-Sayed rejected the accusation, calling it an organization he has “never been a part of.” He attributed the attacks to the fact that “my mom was a nurse in Missouri,” adding, “It’s really quite beneath you.”
An investigation published Wednesday by The New York Times reported that El-Sayed’s mother had worked as a nurse in Missouri for a Muslim aid group later designated by the U.S. government as a supporter of terrorist groups. The report noted she was a low-level employee never accused of wrongdoing, and El-Sayed has stated he had little relationship with her growing up. The same investigation reported that El-Sayed signed a 2012 open letter calling on Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood-aligned Egyptian president at the time, to purge the media and police of supporters of the ousted dictatorship.
Rogers referenced that document during the debate, stating, “He asked the new Muslim Brotherhood head, Morsi, in Egypt, to defund the police.”
Jewish Coalitions Press El-Sayed for Explicit Assurances
While prominent Jewish Democrats in Michigan, including Elissa Slotkin, have endorsed and campaigned alongside El-Sayed, portions of the electorate remain hesitant. Nonnegotiable Michigan, a coalition of local rabbis and Jewish politicians pressing El-Sayed to offer more explicit assurances regarding support for Jewish communities and Israel, issued another public statement ahead of the debate.
“We know what this Senate seat means for our country, and we want a check on the dangerous excesses of the Trump-Vance administration,” the message from the coalition stated. “Yet you are making it painfully difficult for our community to vote for you.”
