Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed unleashes on Mike Rogers over absence during debate: ‘the elephant cowarded out’
A debate is supposed to be between 2 people
The upcoming midterm elections are highly anticipated, and one race many people are most looking forward to is the Michigan Senate seat. Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers will face each other in November, once and for all, after months of verbal disputes and name-calling.
However, Rogers appears to be trying to put a stop to conversations about his political rivalry with El-Sayed, at least one would think. In a video going viral on social media, El-Sayed accuses Rogers of opting out of a debate televised on September 15 on Fox 2, saying he “cowarded out.”
As a reporter attempted to ask El-Sayed a question about Rogers’ absence during the event, mentioning “The elephant in the room tonight, or lack thereof,” he cut him off, saying, “The elephant was not in the room.” Referencing a Republican midterm convention where Rogers was recently present, El-Sayed added, “The elephant decided that they did not want to be in the room. The elephant cowarded out. Although, the elephants were all in the room in Dallas.”
“It’s wild to me that this guy is more interested in going to speak for what? Six minutes and 48 seconds in Dallas than he is to have 60 minutes with Michiganders here in Detroit,” El-Sayed said of Rogers. He continued, “But it tells you who he is; he’s a coward,” before adding, “So if I were him, I wouldn’t debate me either.”
Mike Rogers’ team gave a reason for his absence
Ahead of Tuesday’s debate, Alyssa Brouillet, Rogers’s campaign Communications Director, said in a statement that Rogers’s absence from the debate was primarily due to “concerns” with FOX 2 moderator Roop Raj’s “bias and favoritism.”
The statement said, “Michiganders deserve to see their candidates engage in a healthy, fair debate — not one compromised by media bias.” It continued, highlighting how Raj had “made his position clear,” mentioning “from praising Abdul as ‘brilliant,’ to being celebrated by Hasan Piker as ‘my GOAT,’ and bragging about his political stunts.’
It also outlined Rogers’s priorities. It said, “Mike looks forward to making his case to working families and to making Abdul answer to voters for the conman he is.”
Additionally, the statement included information about the other debates Rogers would be part of. This included a debate on WOOD TV8 moderated by Rick Albin and a debate on WXYZ-TV Channel 7 moderated by Chuck Stokes.
What Rogers said about El-Sayed during the Texas convention
Last Friday, during a speech at the GOP convention in Dallas, Texas, Rogers criticized El-Sayed, who has garnered significant support ahead of the elections. Citing some of his past comments out of context, Rogers claimed that El-Sayed sided with terrorists.
He referenced an incident where a “terrorist” attacked a synagogue and preschool in Michigan this year, and quoted El-Sayed’s response: “Hurt people hurt people.” Rogers accused El-Sayed of attempting to excuse the attackers’ behavior and argued that Michigan needs a senator who fights for victims, not one explaining “terrorists’ motivations.”
Additionally, Rogers alleged that El-Sayed was funding his campaign with “money from terrorist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.” Taking a dig at one of El-Sayed’s priorities, Rogers claimed, “Abdul says he wants money out of politics unless that money comes from recognized terrorist organizations.”
Although there’s no evidence supporting Rogers’ claim about Muslim Brotherhood backing, his comment about the synagogue attack is partially accurate. In March, according to authorities, a man reportedly drove a truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township.
El-Sayed stated at the time that there was “never a justification for attacking innocent people” but also remarked that “violence is a cycle” and said, “hurt people hurt people.” After facing criticism, Sayed apologized, acknowledging he “made a mistake” and that he should have “issued a statement, of course condemning it, and it just should have been the full stop.”
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