Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul el Sayed used the final debate before next week’s primary to defend controversial comments comparing Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) to an “ogre,” while Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) brushed aside criticism over millions of dollars in outside spending backing her campaign.

During the debate, el Sayed was asked whether he regretted inflammatory rhetoric after recently saying during a donor Zoom call that if he won the primary, he would have “no problem” backing primary challenges against lawmakers such as Fetterman.