GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan – Political sparks flew in Michigan’s Senate race on Tuesday night as Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and her Republican opponent Mike Rogers accused one another of lying and desperation at their first debate.
The two candidates sparred over Michigan flashpoints, including the transition to electric vehicles, but the debate also took surprising turns, including attacks over the Iraq War and claims of illegal immigrants taking disaster relief funding.
Slotkin, aided by a significantly larger war chest, has held a small but consistent lead over Rogers since the general election began in August.
But the race is considered one of the most competitive this cycle. The seat is without an incumbent after four-term Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) announced her retirement, giving Republicans their best chance in years to reclaim the seat.
Rogers and Slotkin will meet again next Monday for their second debate, to be held near Detroit.
Here are the Washington Examiner’s takeaways from their hourlong debate in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
1. ‘Michigan nice’ goes out the window
Early in the debate, Slotkin dredged up the Iraq War, accusing Rogers, a seven-term congressman who left office in 2015, of leading the country into a conflict that killed thousands of service members.
“There was no greater supporter, no greater fist-pumper, than Mike Rogers,” Slotkin said, pointing to his time chairing the House Intelligence Committee.
In turn, Rogers countered that Congress had been misled by the intelligence community, laying indirect blame at the feet of Slotkin, who worked in the CIA before her arrival in the House.
“The CIA has deception training – my opponent clearly went through that,” Rogers said.
Rogers returned to her employment at the CIA repeatedly, at one point painting her as “dishonest and deceptive” over his record on Medicare and Social Security.
“I’m not sure she can pass the polygraph test at the CIA anymore,” he said.
From there, the debate only got more bitter as the conversation turned to China. Slotkin bristled as Rogers accused her of being “part and parcel” of Chinese investment in Michigan.
She denied signing a nondisclosure agreement for an electric vehicle battery plant in Big Rapids, controversial for its ties to the Chinese Communist Party, and said Rogers was “desperate” for using national security as a political football.
The sniping continued in the post-debate spin room as she claimed his debate performance was only aggressive to deflect from his record.
“That sort of ankle-biting stuff — to me, you do that stuff when you don’t have the goods,” Slotkin said.
In response, Rogers told the Washington Examiner, “That’s not ankle-biting. That’s actually just finding out what your record is. And clearly, she doesn’t want people to know that.”
2. Rogers echoes Trump on FEMA funding for migrants
The debate began on a mild note, with a question over natural disaster relief funding. But Rogers took the opportunity to shift the conversation to the border, echoing former President Donald Trump’s claim that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is squandering its storm response resources by housing illegal migrants.
FEMA, currently engaged in cleanup efforts from Hurricane Helene, does administer funds for migrants through its Shelter and Services Program, but the funding is separate from the pool of money used for natural disasters.
Still, Rogers used the issue to paint Slotkin as weak on the border.
“My opponent voted and voted and voted to allow that money to go to illegal immigrants,” Rogers said.
Slotkin, for her part, said we “absolutely” need to do more to secure the border and told viewers her career “protecting the homeland” shows her commitment to doing so.
3. Slotkin appeals to the middle as Rogers calls her Biden cog
Beginning with her opening remarks, Slotkin sought to frame herself as the centrist candidate in the race, pointing to her national security roles under two administrations, one Republican and one Democrat.
At another point, she noted that Georgetown’s Lugar Center had rated her the 14th most bipartisan member of the House.
Meanwhile, Rogers spent the entirety of the debate attempting to rebut that image. He acknowledged that Slotkin at times breaks with her party, but he told viewers that she is a loyal Democrat when it counts and blamed her for votes that he said led to a spike in inflation.
“What I think is disingenuous and certainly deceptive is saying that you vote against your party, but you vote for all of the things” that have caused higher prices, Rogers said.
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Slotkin later accused Rogers of “misstating the record.”
“I do not care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican or an independent. I just want to be serious. I want to be practical,” Slotkin told reporters after the debate. “I want people who can debate and push and pull at each other and be civil and not be nasty.”