With less than two weeks until the Nov. 3 midterm elections, candidates in two key U.S. Senate races faced off in the final debate.
In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers on Wednesday exchanged accusations over their political views and the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
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In Kansas, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic opponent Adam Hamilton disagreed over rising diesel prices and President Donald Trump’s plan to import Russian fuel.
The results of both elections will influence which party ends up with a majority in the Senate. Republicans currently hold 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate. Democrats hold 45 seats, and two senators are independents who caucus with Democrats.
Here are some key takeaways from these discussions.
michigan
Mr. Rogers distances himself from Mr. Trump on several topics
Mr. Rogers questioned some of President Trump’s tariffs, describing them as a “mixture.” He supported measures to move auto manufacturing back to Michigan from China and Mexico, but questioned the impact of tariffs on Canada.
“I took a step back and said maybe Canada’s tariffs were not well thought out,” Rogers said, referring to the close ties between the two countries’ auto industries.
Michigan is located on the Canadian border and has the largest number of automobile manufacturing jobs in the United States.
Rogers said he would put Michigan’s interests first if elected.
“If it’s good for Michigan, I’ll be for it. If it’s bad for Michigan, I’ll be against it,” he said.
He objected to El-Sayed’s repeated references to President Trump.
“The bingo game should be about how many times you can fit the word Trump in the answer he gave in the last 30 minutes,” he said. “That’s ridiculous.”
Iran takes center stage
Mr. El-Sayed accused Mr. Rogers of supporting a war against Iran and blamed Iran for soaring U.S. fuel and food prices.
He said he believed Iran posed a threat to U.S. national security, but argued that the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama helped contain the threat through diplomacy.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed by several world powers, including Iran and the United States. In exchange for sanctions relief, it placed limits on Iran’s nuclear program, including strict limits on uranium enrichment and forcing Iran to submit to international inspections.
President Trump withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018, citing a failure to adequately address Iran’s nuclear ambitions, ballistic missile program and support for regional armed groups.
El-Sayed criticized President Trump for tearing up the agreement during his first term and starting a war with Iran during his second term.
El-Sayed argued that Americans are left paying the price.
“As a result of this war, we’re paying nearly as much for gas (per gallon, or 3.8 liters). We’re paying more for groceries because of diesel prices,” he said.
Regular gasoline prices in Michigan averaged $4.44 per gallon on Wednesday, up from $2.92 a year earlier, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). During the same period, diesel prices rose from $3.62 to $6.41 per gallon.
Mr. El-Sayed also sought to link Mr. Rogers to Mr. Trump, who is scheduled to campaign in Michigan on Sunday.
“Donald Trump is on the ballot through Mike Rogers. They’re committed to this war, and you’re paying the price,” he said.
“Mike Rogers has been pushing for this war since before he was a member of Congress. He’s going to go to war against anything, and he’s not going to back out of it now.”
Mr. Rogers calls on Democrats.
Mr. Rogers appealed to Democrats who support Haley Stevens, whom Mr. Elsayed defeated in the Democratic primary.
“If you were a Haley Stevens voter and you came out of this situation and said, ‘I can’t do this. He’s too extreme,’ well, guess what? You’d have a home with us,” he said, claiming that more and more Democrats are now supporting his campaign.
One of the most controversial moments of the debate was when Mr. Rogers suggested that el-Sayed had the same following as groups like Hamas, a claim refuted by el-Sayed.
“You can grin and smile and talk very pretty, but let me be clear: it’s a national security risk,” Rogers said. He told reporters after the debate that he doubted whether El-Sayed would be able to obtain security clearance from the Senate if elected.
El-Sayed called the allegations “disgraceful.”
El-Sayed and Rogers clash over immigration and ICE
Immigration sparked an even more heated exchange.
Rogers defended the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, arguing that the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has helped reduce crime.
“We should continue to do that. Find people who are committing crimes and get them out of the country,” Rogers said.
Mr. El-Sayed criticized ICE’s tactics and accused Mr. Rogers of supporting attacks on schools, workplaces, and places of worship.
“He supports ICE on the streets. They don’t have to tell you who they are. They don’t have to tell you why they’re there,” El-Sayed said.
“I believe we don’t need ICE,” he added.
Kansas
Marshall blames Ukraine war for rising diesel prices
In his final debate with his Democratic challenger, Marshall blamed Russia’s war on Ukraine, not the Iran war, for the rise in diesel prices.
The Republican’s comments echoed President Trump’s recent criticism of Ukraine, including claims that Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries are causing fuel costs to rise.
President Trump has agreed to a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release stocks of Russian diesel to the U.S. and global markets to ease prices, but Marshall welcomed the idea with some reservations.
“I don’t think that’s a great idea,” Marshall said. But he added: “If this brings Russia to the negotiating table and ends the war, I’m in favor of it for now.”
Hamilton responded angrily: “What I just said is that we’re going to sell out our friends in Ukraine. That’s not right.”
Diesel prices are a major campaign issue in Kansas, where farmers rely heavily on the fuel. The average diesel price in the state this week was $6.32 per gallon, compared to $3.62 a year ago, according to AAA.
Hamilton blamed President Trump’s war on Iran for the price hikes and called for a suspension of the federal fuel tax. Marshall also said that while he wants the war to end quickly, he has no intention of forcing President Trump to end it.
ICE raids divide Kansas candidates
Mr. Hamilton criticized recent ICE raids, and Mr. Marshall defended President Trump’s border policies.
Both candidates expressed cautious support for requiring companies to use E-Verify, a system that would allow employers to verify whether their employees are legally authorized to work in the United States.
“I think it’s a good idea. Of course, the devil is in the details,” Marshall said, arguing that Republicans can now focus on securing the border and improving our immigration system.
Hamilton challenged Marshall, who mentioned that during his career as a doctor, he had delivered babies for undocumented parents.
“Did you also call ICE and ask them to take them away? What did you do to these people?” Hamilton asked.
“You have compassion for them and hand over the kids, but then you uphold the quota. They’re trying to take people away. Hutchinson, Kansas, I was there. There was a kindergarten teacher who was arrested in front of the kids,” he added.
Hamilton also criticized recent ICE raids in southwestern Kansas, warning that they are terrorizing workers and disrupting the agricultural industry.
“People are scared when ICE comes, because it’s militarized and politicized, so people don’t come to work,” he said.
“We don’t want to terrorize people in the community.”
sell weapons to israel
Hamilton criticized the U.S. use of weapons in Gaza, and Marshall defended the U.S.-Israel alliance.
Mr Hamilton said he supported providing Israel with defensive weapons, but opposed supplying bombs used in attacks on populated areas.
“When you see whole cities in Gaza being flattened, now we’re not just talking about eradicating Hamas,” Hamilton said.
“They’re using our aid to buy our weapons and drop them on innocent civilians. That’s a no-no. That’s not sane. That’s not who we are as Americans.”
Marshall defended Israel as one of Washington’s closest allies and was asked if there were circumstances to block arms sales.
“I’m sure there is. We don’t know what it will be,” Marshall said.
Marshall emphasized the importance of strong military alliances, but said the United States should prioritize domestic issues.
“We want to ensure the security of our borders. Let’s deal with it domestically first,” he said.
