El-Sayed declined to state whether Iran or Israel posed a greater threat to U.S. security, while Rogers continued to challenge the Democrat's credentials as a physician. Donald Trump subsequently stated that Rogers "obliterated" his opponent during the exchange. Despite the clashes, Polymarket prediction odds currently favor El-Sayed to win the seat with a 69% probability, as El-Sayed countered by alleging that Rogers voted 19 times to raise prescription drug prices.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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El-Sayed Refuses to Rank Iran and Israel Threats in First Michigan Debate
US Politics12 days ago
Republican Mike Rogers’ claims that Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s mother funded Al-Qaeda dominated a televised forum in Grand Rapids on Thursday. During the first of two scheduled debates to replace retiring Senator Gary Peters, Rogers called El-Sayed a "glitchy A.I. chatbot" and a "con man" and accused him of taking money from the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed responded by asking if Rogers was "going after my mom" after the Republican referenced the Islamic American Relief Agency, a group sanctioned for terror financing.
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