Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed refused repeatedly to say whether Iran or Israel posed the greater threat to the United States during a bitter Michigan Senate debate with Republican Mike Rogers.
Asked by the moderator to choose between the two countries, Mr El-Sayed dismissed the question as a “ridiculous hypothetical”, arguing that both had proved “dangerous in their own way”. He also described the question as “dumb”.
The exchange was one of several fierce clashes during the candidates’ first debate in the race to succeed outgoing Senator Gary Peters. Frequent interruptions prompted the moderator to remark that he would “like to be a part of the debate too”.
Mr Rogers called his rival a “glitchy AI chatbot” and accused him of being “bought off by Hamas”. Mr El-Sayed, in turn, portrayed the former congressman as inauthentic and a rubber stamp for President Donald Trump.
“He wants to be a sock puppet for the administration on Iran,” Mr El-Sayed said, describing Mr Rogers as “weak” and “cowardly”. “Whenever Donald Trump says, jump. He says, ‘How high?’”
Mr Rogers also challenged Mr El-Sayed’s medical credentials, saying: “He’s selling the best con I’ve ever seen” and “he’s not really a doctor.”
Mr El-Sayed responded by highlighting his medical degree from Columbia University and telling Mr Rogers that any concerns could be taken to the state licensing board.
Personal attacks dominate Michigan Senate debate
The Republican candidate also raised the work history of Mr El-Sayed’s mother, prompting the Democrat to ask: “Are you going after my mom?”
Mr Rogers replied that he was targeting the Islamic American Relief Agency, where Fatten Elkomy worked from 1999 to 2004 helping orphans. He alleged that the Missouri-based charity had funnelled money to al-Qaeda.
The charity pleaded guilty in 2016 to sanctions violations, money-laundering conspiracy and tax obstruction after transferring nearly 1.4 million dollars to Iraq. Ms Elkomy was never charged, and the material did not establish that the money funded al-Qaeda.
Mr Rogers further attacked staff turnover in Mr El-Sayed’s campaign, claiming that a senior aide had left and described the candidate as “manufactured”. He said: “What he’s basically telling you is he will say anything to win.”
Mr El-Sayed accused Mr Rogers of seeking to profit from public office, citing “14 million dollars, two yachts, a McMansion in Florida”. Mr Rogers has previously skipped a candidate forum, leading Mr El-Sayed to say: “If I were him, I wouldn’t debate me either.”
The contest is being fought on narrow margins, with recent polling placing the candidates one point apart. The Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up, while prediction markets give Mr El-Sayed an advantage.
Mr El-Sayed, who was born to Egyptian parents, would become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate if successful. President Trump recently attacked him on social media, referring to him as “Mohammed” and calling him a “Radical Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer”.
Mr El-Sayed described the post as “an attack on all of us”, saying Mr Trump was using his name and faith to distract from the impact of his policies.
The debate also exposed tensions over the Republican candidate’s relationship with the White House. Although backed by Mr Trump, Mr Rogers has criticised aspects of the administration’s trade war with Canada.
He said he had spoken to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about reducing tariffs, adding that some duties on US goods were “too high and not helpful for us”.
Both parties are focusing heavily on Michigan. Former vice-president Kamala Harris has campaigned alongside Mr El-Sayed, while former president Barack Obama is due to appear at a rally supporting him and Democratic governor candidate Jocelyn Benson on October 24.
