Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers escalated his attacks on Democrat Abdulrahman Mohamed El‑Sayed during a GOP midterm convention speech, warning, “And when somebody tries to blow up children, we don’t want a politician explaining away the terrorist motivations. Michigan needs a senator fighting for the victims.”
Rogers’ convention broadside
In remarks targeting El‑Sayed, Rogers said, “You don’t sympathize with terrorists. You don’t sanitize extremism, and you sure don’t ask the people of Michigan to send you to the United States Senate while surrounding yourself with people who despise America.” He continued, “Abdul El Sayed may be comfortable with that crowd. I certainly am not. He’s a con man. I’m a law man. He wants to apologize for America. I want to defend America. He wants to represent Palestine. I want to represent Michigan,” according to the supplied source.
The Hasan Piker flashpoint
The source reports that Rogers’ criticism followed El‑Sayed campaigning with Hasan Piker, who has said, “America deserved 9/11.” According to the source, rather than condemn that remark, El‑Sayed said Piker’s comments needed to be viewed in “context.”
El‑Sayed’s response
Responding to Rogers’ focus on Piker, El‑Sayed said it is “sad” that his Republican opponent “thinks that the issue is a streamer in California.” He added, “It’s sad. He doesn’t really want to talk about any of the issues people are really facing… If he thinks that the issue is a streamer in California, then he’s got another thing coming,” per the source.
After the primary: sharper claims
Following El‑Sayed’s primary victory, Rogers issued a statement calling the Democrat an “extremist” who “wants to empty prisons and put murderers and sex offenders back on our streets.” He also claimed El‑Sayed “pledged his support to the Muslim Brotherhood,” “campaigns with people who refuse to condemn terrorism,” and “advocated for the largest tax hike in American history — costing families already struggling to make ends meet over $3,000 more per year,” according to the source. Rogers contrasted himself by saying, “I spent years hunting terrorists and bringing Osama bin Laden to justice.”
