Michigan Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul el Sayed are in a public feud over scheduling a debate in the closely watched race, with el Sayed dubbing the Republican “Mike Dodgers.”
The Michigan Debate Commission, comprised of two dozen media, business, and academic groups, said on Wednesday that it had invited both candidates to participate in a debate on Sept. 15, before absentee ballots are sent to voters.
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El Sayed has agreed to the debate, but Rogers has yet to respond. Fox Detroit news anchor Roop Raj said in a social media post that two podiums will be on the debate stage, regardless of whether or not Rogers attends, adding that the MDC has reached out to Rogers multiple times.
In response to Raj’s post, el Sayed responded with flights from Florida to Michigan. Rogers has faced significant backlash over his multimillion-dollar home in Cape Coral, Florida. Some critics have called the Republican a “carpetbagger” for running in Michigan despite spending time at his Florida home.
“I looked for you, @MikeRogersforMI, there are at least two flights that will get you into Detroit from Florida in time,” el Sayed said with a photo of two flight options. “Or are you dodging because you’re an empty suit with no original ideas and an indefensible record? Coward.”
Rogers jabbed back at his competitor, saying his calendar has been “jammed up” because he’s been traveling Michigan, meeting with Democratic voters who voted for Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) in the primary.
“Now that you’ve recovered from your underwhelming primary performance, we’re looking forward to making sure the rest of Michigan knows EXACTLY who you are,” Rogers said. “We’ll be in touch soon with a date that works — need to find a time between our meetings with folks that voted for Haley.”
El Sayed responded: “Mike Dodgers.”
The two candidates’ feud over scheduling a debate comes as polling shows el Sayed with a decent edge over Rogers, who has the backing of President Donald Trump.
According to the new Susquehanna Polling and Research survey, the progressive Democrat is leading by 7 points among likely voters in a 46-39 split with Rogers. Nine percent of voters who answered the survey said they are undecided, and 4% said they prefer another candidate.
While Rogers touted his conversations with voters who picked Stevens in the primary, the poll shows el Sayed is having luck consolidating Democrats’ support. El Sayed is leading Rogers 91% to zero percent with self-identified Democrats, and he’s also doing well among Democrats who identify as progressive and those who do not.
ABDUL EL SAYED OUTPERFORMS MIKE ROGERS IN LATEST MICHIGAN SENATE POLL
Both candidates are running to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who has held the seat for two six-year terms.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Rogers campaign.
