U.S. Senate debate: Abdul El-Sayed, Mike Rogers takeaways and analysis

(FOX 2) - The first of multiple U.S. Senate debates ahead of a pivotal 2026 midterm election in Michigan took place on FOX 2.

Topics ranged from Medicare for all, Hasan Piker, Israel-Palestine relations with the U.S. and the war in Iran. While Democrat Abdul El-Sayed was in attendance, Republican Mike Rogers was not.

Invites for the debate were sent out weeks ago. While El-Sayed's team agreed to the debate, Rogers' team declined to do so Tuesday morning. FOX 2 had a podium for both candidates anyway, in case Rogers changed his mind.

—> Why Rogers declined to attend FOX 2's debate.

Analysis and Takeaways

Dr. Peter Trumbore from Oakland University watched the debate and joined us after to discuss El-Sayed's messaging and after Republican nominee Mike Rogers declined to attend. His biggest takeaways were:

• Not attending was a missed opportunity for Mike Rogers
• El-Sayed showed strong style and substance
• Moving forward, candidates should focus on pocketbook issues vs. foreign policy and culture wars

You can hear his thoughts in full in the video player above.

Hasan Piker Relationship

One of the most common questions asked of El-Sayed is his relationship with Hasan Piker and his thoughts on some of the comments the Twitch streamer has made.

"Look, I take comments on their own terms. And when Hassan made these comments about Jewish Americans and Jewish Michiganders, I disavowed them entirely," El-Sayed said.

The Democrat expanded on the question by discussing the larger point of his appearing alongside Piker while on the campaign trail.

"But I do want to ask us a question. What is democracy for? Democracy is about addressing our differences peaceably. That's what it's supposed to be for. And too often, the way that our politics happen is that we're told who we cannot talk to. The reason I talked to Hassan isn't because of Hassan. It's because of the 3 million people who pay attention to what he has to say."

Biggest issue facing Black men in Detroit

The first viewer question was about the biggest problems facing Black men in Detroit and the policies he would support to improve those issues.

"I think it is the lack of opportunity because of disinvestment in predominantly black communities for a very long time," he said, arguing that was the reason he returned to Detroit, "to rebuild Detroit's health department."

He said Detroit Public Schools made a $700 million investment, but it is still nearly $2 billion behind due to "an outdated model which is built on property taxes…a function of racial residential redlining from the past that we put into the future and that robs young children, future young Black men from the opportunity of a great education that they deserve."

Democrats with doubts

More than a few Michigan Democrats have expressed doubts about voting for El-Sayed. The result is a push from Mike Rogers' campaign to court Democrats to vote for him.

After a contentious primary against Democrat Haley Stevens, she endorsed El-Sayed when the general election got underway "because she understands that whatever our differences, our shared goals are so much bigger than that."

El-Sayed named several campaign promises, including prescription drugs, public education, foreign wars, and health care that he argued would give him common space with other Democrats in the state.

Medicare For All

What would El-Sayed do about those with private health insurance who worry what would happen under a Medicare for all model in health care? And how would he convince others to sign on when it would mean higher taxes.

 "Medicare for all is not. About what it takes away. It's about what it offers, even if you're privately insured right now," he said.

"I want you to imagine what would happen if you had another card next to your private insurance cards, a Medicare card. It's zero co-pays, zero deductible, zero premium. It doesn't have a network, so they don't tell you what doctor you can see or can't see, and you don't have to worry about what happens if you lose your job."

Israel and a two-state solution

"I believe in equal rights to peace, dignity and self-determination for Palestinians and Jewish Israelis alike," El-Sayed said when asked about his thoughts on a two-state solution between the two groups.

He called the current situation an 'unstable equilibrium."

"We saw the attack on October 7th. We saw the genocide that followed thereafter. I believe deeply that every child in the Holy Land, Palestinian or Jewish, deserves to grow up without worrying about whether or not their life is going to be upended by war or apartheid or genocide or terrorism."

He said he supported whatever "a free Palestinian people and a free Jewish Israeli people" but did not support spending tax dollars "abroad to drop bombs on other people."

Abdul's AI data center policy

El-Sayed was asked about how he'd protect Michigan from AI data centers, and laid out the federal policies he'd like to see enacted:

1. Union jobs must be created
2. Utility rates cannot be raised
3. Revenue must be used to improve power reliability in Michigan
4. Water cannot be touched
5. Public, good-faith negotiations
6. The above fully enforceable by fees, fines and the ability to shut down
7. And local and state moratoriums until the above are enacted

2026 ElectionsMichiganMike Rogers