Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers used a Fox News town hall with host Sean Hannity on Monday to sharpen his attacks on Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed, telling Michigan voters his rival’s agenda would damage the state.
Rogers accused El-Sayed of a “pattern of deception” and described him as a “manufactured candidate,” arguing the Democrat has misrepresented his own political positions.
“He is the most extreme candidate. He has called for defunding the police. He has called for letting criminals out of prison,” Rogers said. “He has called for the Green New Deal, which for Michigan is a killer.”
Rogers also highlighted his campaign’s field operation, saying volunteers are approaching 6 million doors knocked across the state.
“That’s the energy, and what we’re getting off of those doors is, ‘Yes, we’re voting,’ ‘No, we’re not going to be a DSA state,’ ‘No, we’re not going to let this happen on our watch,'” he said.
He said his campaign is drawing support from voters who have traditionally backed Democrats.
During a question-and-answer session, a Jewish woman told Rogers she sometimes feels afraid to publicly show her Jewish identity. Rogers responded that he has heard similar accounts from Jewish students at the University of Michigan, who told him they hide religious symbols because they have faced harassment.
Rogers also addressed housing, education and the skilled trades, saying he wants to make it easier for young adults to buy homes and to bring more defense industry work to Michigan. He called for restoring shop classes in the state’s high schools, arguing that expanding skilled-trade education would open more paths to well-paying careers for students.
He closed by returning to his criticism of El-Sayed’s policy positions, saying Michigan “cannot afford” them.
“We certainly can’t risk his ideology,” Rogers said.
El-Sayed’s campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.
