Michigan Democrat Senate nominee Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed asked Mike Rogers to take him on in an Oklahoma drill instead of debating before Michigan voters.

On Fox News, former Congressman Mike Rogers said about Abdul El Sayed: “He’s advocating doing away with our fireworks, football, the Fourth of July; this guy spent hours hating on what most Michiganders enjoy in their pastimes.”

These comments appear to have stung Abdul El-Sayed, as he quickly responded on X: “Since you’re too afraid to debate me, how about you “hold me accountable” on a football field instead. Tackle, no pads like we used to play when we were kids. I’d be happy to show you how much I love football.”

The Michigan Debate Commission, a non-partisan entity run by Oakland University and the Detroit Economic Club, proposed that Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed debate on September 15th. As of August 13th, no debate has been agreed to, and Michigan’s absentee ballots must be mailed out by September 26th.

In the 2024 Michigan U.S. Senate contest, Elissa Slotkin and Mike Rogers held two televised debates. They debated on WOOD-TV on October 8th and on WXYZ-TV six days later on October 14th. 

Michigan’s U.S. Senate race has been an unusually high-profile race this election cycle, as both candidates have very deep personal contrasts: Rogers is a former FBI agent and Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, while El-Sayed is someone who frequently campaigns with socialists and has adopted a platform that has attracted controversy. A televised debate would potentially allow voters to understand the contrast between these two candidates.