Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin and former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers clashed over national security, immigration and abortion in Tuesday's debate, with each candidate vying to be Michigan's next U.S. senator. .
Retiring U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) has endorsed Slotkin, a three-term congressman who currently represents Michigan's 7th Congressional District, as her successor. Rogers served in the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2015, chaired the House Intelligence Committee, and has received support from former President Trump.
The race in Michigan is a close one, with polls showing Slotkin with an average lead of five points. The winner could well decide which major party will control the Senate majority next year. According to FOX News power rankings, the Michigan Senate race is headed by Leanne D.
The hour-long debate, hosted by NBC affiliate WOOD TV, was mostly civil and issue-focused. But on several occasions, candidates accused each other of lying or distorting facts on the record.
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The Michigan Senate race between Elissa Slotkin and Mike Rogers is more competitive than initially expected. (Related news organizations)
Rogers slammed Slotkin's claim that he repeatedly voted to “privatize or cut Medicare and Social Security” during his time in Congress, calling it “dishonest and deceitful.” “I am no longer confident that she could pass a CIA polygraph test,” he said, referring to Slotkin's career as a former CIA analyst.
Mr. Slotkin later hit back at Mr. Rogers, who said he was “holding his breath into the microphone” during a discussion about nuclear power and competition with China.
“It's really sad that someone who considers himself a national security expert can't understand that we need to work together on this issue and not lie over and over again,” she said. said.
Early voting is underway in the battleground state of Michigan, and both candidates have announced their intention to work with the other side. Each side attacked the other as partisans.
“We're a very purple state. We have a lot of Democrats and a lot of Republicans,” Slotkin acknowledged. “I was the 14th bipartisan elected official out of 435 people.”
She noted that Mr. Rogers served as deputy whip of the House and was “the one who got everyone to vote Republican.”
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Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin speaks on stage during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 22, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Rogers responded by saying that Slotkin “voted 100% for the Biden-Harris policies,” which contributed to higher gas prices, higher grocery bills and increased crime. Ta. He said if elected to the Senate, he would “look for every opportunity to be bipartisan.”
The candidates appeared to be sharply divided on issues of foreign policy, national security, immigration, and abortion.
Slotkin characterized the production of electric vehicles in Michigan as a national security issue. “I don't care what kind of car you want to drive,” she said, before adding that the next generation of cars will be built in either “the United States or China.”
Slotkin went on to say that “China is eating our lunch with these types of vehicles,” and that if the U.S. doesn't invest in EVs, Michigan's auto industry will “give ground to foreign competitors.” He warned that there is a possibility of repeating the historical mistake of “.
Rogers accused Slotkin of supporting an EV mandate, noting that “85% of everything that gets done in electric vehicles has to go through China.”
“I don't understand why on God's green earth they would cede the car market to the Chinese Communist Party,” he said. “My opponents have repeatedly supported EV mandates, trying to sort out the cars our companies have to make and the cars you have to buy. 2,400 people were laid off at Stellantis, 1,000 people were laid off.'' General Motors is talking about closing two lines, but Ford's CEO said this won't work for America. ”
The debate became heated as each candidate tried to accuse the other of close ties to China. Mr. Rogers reiterated a campaign claim that Mr. Slotkin had signed a non-disclosure agreement with Goshon, a Chinese-affiliated company that received $175 million in taxpayer money to build a battery factory in Big Rapids. . Slotkin called the opponents' claims “aggressive” and said that Rogers, who was AT&T's chief security officer, “was actively involved in AT&T's efforts to bring Chinese companies into our telecommunications business.” “It was a time when I was young,” he retorted. Mr. Rogers denied the charges.
In another exchange about the Middle East, Mr. Rogers took aim at “the idea by my opponents that somehow being on duty in Iraq excuses the whole approach to Iran from being wrong.” Slotkin accompanied troops during three tours to Iraq as a CIA analyst.
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Former Congressman Mike Rogers speaks at a campaign event hosted by former President Trump at the Falk Productions manufacturing facility in Walker, Michigan, on September 27, 2024. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
When the topic turned to abortion, Rogers said the choice to terminate a pregnancy is “the most heartbreaking decision a woman will ever have to make.”
Rogers acknowledged that the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022, allowing states to regulate abortion. “I voted in favor of making it happen. I'm not going to do anything.” Return to Washington, D.C., to do something that will change what the Michigan Constitution, as voted on by the people of Michigan, has guided us to return. ”
Slotkin said he would vote for legislation that would codify Roe and thereby eliminate state restrictions on abortion, saying he doesn't trust Rogers on the issue. “He voted a total of 56 times for every ban, every restriction, every bill that came on the table that made it harder for women and in some cases prohibited women and their right to choose.”
“He voted for and sponsored a bill that made IVF and contraception impossible,” she claimed. “If we don't trust him to protect our own rights, then don't trust him.”
“It's a scam,” Rodgers retorted. “I came out and talked about making sure my family had access to IVF so they could grow. This is a very personal thing for these families and I'm committed to it 100%. I support you.”
Slotkin also pointed out that Rodgers lived in Cape Coral, Florida, and that Michigan voters will vote on the abortion issue on the ballot initiative in 2022, before Rodgers returned to Michigan to run for Senate. , and made Mr. Rogers a carpetbagger.
On immigration, Slotkin said “the system is broken” and that Congress needs to do more to protect the border. “To me, if you're not here legally, you shouldn't be here. You should go back to your home country and be deported to your home country.” He accused the U.S. Senate of using the border security agreement as a “point of contention,” and pointed out that a bipartisan border security agreement in the Senate collapsed due to Republican opposition.
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“I'm glad to hear that my opponent has changed his mind on border security,” Rogers said after endorsing the Biden administration's policies.
“Here's the problem: You can't vote against walls. You can't vote against sanctuary cities,” he continued. “We can't do what we've been doing to admit 10 million people into the country. We've spent something like $450 billion to keep room, board, phones, and medical care for illegal aliens. That's enough to pay for every teacher in Michigan and every Michigan State Trooper for 15 years. ”
He called the bipartisan bill Slotkin referred to “a bill that will exacerbate and perpetuate the problem.”
Tuesday's debate was the first of two debates scheduled between the Senate candidates. A second debate, hosted by Detroit's WXYZ-TV Channel 7, is scheduled for next Monday.
