The Abdul El-Sayed debate in Detroit on Tuesday unfolded as a one-sided forum after Republican nominee Mike Rogers declined to participate, leaving Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee to face about an hour of pointed questions on his relationship with streamer Hasan Piker, his views on Israel, campaign contributions and his past engagement with democratic socialist groups.
Event organizers said both campaigns were invited Aug. 5, the day after the primary. El-Sayed accepted quickly, while Rogers formally bowed out the morning of the event, citing concerns that moderator Roop Raj was biased.
Abdul El-Sayed debate presses Piker ties
Raj asked whether El-Sayed could fully disavow Piker’s offensive statements. El-Sayed replied “absolutely,” adding that when Piker made remarks about Jewish Americans and Jewish Michiganders he rejected them entirely.
He also said there were many things Piker has said that he disagrees with, pointing to comments about 9/11 and Jewish Americans, while arguing that appearing with someone does not mean endorsing all of their views and that he hoped to offer Piker’s audience a way back into civic life.
Israel recognition question draws nuanced answer
Pressed for a yes-or-no response on whether the United States should continue recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, El-Sayed declined to give a binary answer. He said he supports equal rights, peace, dignity and self-determination for Palestinians and Jewish Israelis alike.
He criticized what he called a focus on the existing state’s rights without equal attention to the rights of a state that does not exist, and questioned the use of U.S. tax dollars in the region.
Funding scrutiny and “culture war” charge
The discussion turned tense when El-Sayed was asked whether he would return campaign donations from individuals affiliated with the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Reports have identified more than $115,000 from at least 41 individuals who work for, previously worked for or held leadership roles with CAIR, an organization that has faced controversy over alleged ties to Hamas and was named an unindicted co-conspirator in a 2007 terrorism-financing case.
CAIR has also been designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates and has been formally designated or labeled as such in Florida and Texas. El-Sayed defended CAIR as a civil rights group and accused Rogers of turning the race into a culture war about “the color of my skin or how I pray.”
El-Sayed repeatedly criticized Rogers over his own fundraising, saying the Republican is tied to corporate interests. While discussing Israel, he also pointed to Rogers’ attendance at AIPAC fundraisers.
Position on democratic socialism
Asked about his stance toward the Democratic Socialists of America, El-Sayed said he is not a member. He described himself as a capitalist and argued that corporate consolidation, not regulation, is the greater threat to markets.
“We don’t live in capitalism. We live in corporatism,” he said, adding that one does not need to be a socialist to support health care access or infrastructure.
El-Sayed has consistently rejected the socialist label. DSA did not endorse his Senate bid, though democratic socialist figures have been supportive.
He has appeared at DSA chapter events between 2017 and 2020, including as a keynote at a 2019 fundraiser, while stating he is not “technically or practically DSA.”
What’s next in the Abdul El-Sayed debate
El-Sayed said he believes in an America that includes everyone, naming Rogers, Donald Trump and JD Vance, and argued some in the GOP treat certain people as less American based on faith or background. The moderator noted diversity within the Republican Party, pointing to Vance’s family ties.
The candidates are slated to meet Oct. 8 at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids and Oct. 21 at WXYZ in Detroit ahead of the November general election. Those debates will follow other high-profile races this year, including the Alaska Senate debate that spotlighted fisheries policy.
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