Michigan GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers used his Thursday speech at the Republican midterm convention to accuse his Democratic rival, Abdul el Sayed, of aspiring to represent a foreign territory over the state they’re running to serve.
The remarks came amid a feud between the candidates over national security ahead of Friday’s 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, with Rogers portraying el Sayed as a threat to the United States if sent to Washington and condemning his relationship with controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who once said America “deserved” 9/11 before walking it back.
“He’s a con man. I’m a lawman. He wants to apologize for America. I want to defend America,” Rogers told convention attendees at the Dallas event, alluding to his time as an FBI agent and congressman from 2001-2015. “He wants to represent Palestine. I want to represent Michigan. And when the radical Islamic terrorists threaten Americans, we don’t need a senator searching for excuses. We need a senator hunting them.”
El Sayed, a former local health official, has made criticizing U.S. support for Israel and advocating for Palestinians a major part of his campaign that, in some cases, has prompted Jewish Democrats to align with Rogers. The battleground toss-up race to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) is a must-win seat for Senate Democrats to defend, if they’re to have a chance at netting four new ones to retake the chamber.
ROGERS AND EL SAYED SPAR OVER 9/11 IN LEAD-UP TO ROGERS’S GOP CONVENTION SPEECH
A split-screen moment unfolded, with Rogers delivering his remarks at the same moment el Sayed held a town hall in Detroit. The Democrat told attendees that Rogers was down in Texas to act like a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader for President Donald Trump.
“He’s not in Dallas because he’s calling any shots or making any policy,” el Sayed said. “He’s in Dallas because he’s going to cheer every single policy Donald Trump tells him to cheer for. This is a man who’s willingly sold himself out to be a sock puppet.”