Michigan Senate debate: Key takeaways from El-Sayed, Rogers clash

El-Sayed and Rogers also tackle immigration in Michigan while Kansas candidates spar over Ukraine. Save Share El-Sayed in face-off against rival Rogers for Michigan Senate seat Candidates in two key United States Senate races have faced off in their final debates, less than two weeks before the November 3midterm elections. In Michigan, DemocratAbdul El-Sayedand Republican Mike Rogers exchanged accusations on Wednesday regarding their political views and the US-Israel war on Iran. In Kansas, Republican Senator Roger Marshall and his Democratic opponent, Adam Hamilton, disagreed about the rising price of diesel and President Donald Trump’s plan to import Russian fuel. The results of both elections will influence which party ends up in control of the Senate. The Republicans currently dominate Congress’s upper chamber with 53 of its 100 seats. Democrats hold 45, and two senators are independents who caucus with the Democratic Party. Here are some of the key takeaways from these debates: Rogers questioned some of Trump’s tariffs, describing them as a “mixed bag”. While he supported taking steps to bring automobile manufacturing back to Michigan from China and Mexico, he questioned the impact of tariffs on Canada. “I have stepped back and said maybe these Canadian tariffs were not well thought through,” Rogers said, referring to the close ties between the automobile industries of the two countries. Michigan sits on the Canadian border and is the US state with the most car-manufacturing jobs. Rogers insisted he would put Michigan’s interests first if elected. “If it’s good for Michigan, I’m going to be for it. If it’s bad for Michigan, I’m going to be against it,” he said. He pushed back against El-Sayed’s repeated references to Trump. “The bingo game ought to be how many times can he put the word Trump in any answer that he has given in the last, whatever, 30 minutes,” he said. “It’s ridiculous.” El-Sayed accused Rogers of supporting the war on Iran, which he blamed for rising fuel and food prices in the US. He said he believed Iran had posed a threat to US national security but argued that the 2015 nuclear deal, negotiated under former President Barack Obama, had helped to contain it through diplomacy. TheJoint Comprehensive Planof Action (JCPOA) was signed by Iran and several world powers, including the US....