Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) is retiring from the Senate.
Two Democrats are vying to win the Democratic primary to face Republican Mike Rogers, a former U.S. representative who previously represented the 8th District, in the general election.
The two are Rep. Haley Stevens (MI-11) and former Wayne County and Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed. They faced each other in their second and final debate on Monday night. The primary is August 4.
As we reported earlier, El-Sayed had gotten himself in trouble when his comments from a Zoom meeting came out in which he talked about how they could push the progressive movement and deal with other Democrats.
“And then what happens is, ideally, you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message, and all of a sudden starts to sound a lot different.”
READ MORE: Even Democrats Are Blasting This Michigan Candidate's 'Ogre on a Pike' Remark
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El-Sayed was asked about it during the debate and claimed he was talking about Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), not Stevens, but frankly, that didn't make it much better — it was still a pretty vile comment.
Abdul El-Sayed doubles down on calling John Fetterman an “ogre.”
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 27, 2026
MODERATOR: "Just earlier this week, we heard that there was some kind of a zoom call in which you referenced an opponent as 'ogre on a pike...'"
EL-SAYED: "I was referring to a guy named John Fetterman." pic.twitter.com/NCK0pZmrVv
It raised that greater specter again of the more radical folks wanting to grab power in the party.
Stevens used that to suggest that he was going to concentrate on more national ambitions, while she was focused on Michigan.
Haley Stevens — who voted against the largest tax cut on working Michiganders — says Abdul El-Sayed won’t be able to “get much done.” pic.twitter.com/JyFZ6Kpldp
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 28, 2026
El-Sayed tried to run away from the term "socialist," even though the socialists — including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) — back him.
"I'm just a capitalist who understands how capitalism works," El-Sayed said Monday night. "The biggest threat to capitalism was never the idea of government regulation. It was always monopol[ies]."
That is illustrative — he knows being a socialist is not going to go over as well there as in New York City.
Oh, and check out this interesting information in his financial disclosure report.
El-Sayed released his latest personal financial disclosure report Monday, which showed two rental properties, one in Bangalore, India, and the other in Dubai, United Arab Emirates — each valued at between $100,001 and $250,000. The properties are listed as being owned by El-Sayed's spouse, board-certified psychiatrist Sarah Jukaku.
Stevens continued to raise questions about his finances.
Abdul El-Sayed smiles as Haley Stevens calls him out for not releasing his tax returns:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 28, 2026
"It also is about transparency, and you have not released your full tax returns...you sat in the podcast chair and you hawked junk healthcare cures." pic.twitter.com/wbOiXXdZmt
"You have not released your full tax returns, $300,000 in other income, while you sat in the podcast chair and you hawked junk healthcare cures that RFK Jr. would thumbs up," Stevens said of El-Sayed, who hosted a health-focused podcast for years. "You talk about getting money out of politics and putting money in people's pockets, but still no one knows who's putting the money in your pocket."
El-Sayed made what I think is a big mistake in a state where car manufacturing is so important: he says they had to get to "100 percent renewable energy."
Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed wants to eliminate fossil fuels and take away jobs from hardworking Michiganders:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 28, 2026
"We continue to rely on fossil fuels for our energy, we need to get to 100% renewable energy..." pic.twitter.com/KXxSvgv32v
Then he argued he wanted to do away with all medical debt.
Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed says he thinks he can eliminate all of the medical debt in this country — but he's already been lying to voters about erasing $700 million in debt.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 28, 2026
El-Sayed is a fraud. pic.twitter.com/OlHhDMlByv
Does anyone honestly believe that?
They were both off their rockers when it came to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
El-Sayed said he wanted to abolish ICE, that it wasn't about immigration, it was a "paramilitary force."
Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed grossly slanders ICE and calls to abolish it:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 28, 2026
"I said that we need to abolish ICE, ICE is not about immigration..." pic.twitter.com/GOKEcnKoMO
When asked who would enforce immigration law if ICE were abolished, Abdul El-Sayed says he wants to bring back the INS-- the government agency that was split into ICE, Border Patrol, and USCIS in 2003. pic.twitter.com/kyQYlA8Pi4
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 28, 2026
He doesn't know what he is talking about. Not only doesn't ICE target schools or churches, but INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) did the same things as ICE.
Meanwhile, Stevens said she would take money away from ICE, and called it a "rogue agency."
Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens wants to defund ICE and slanders ICE agents:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 28, 2026
"I am leading the charge in Congress right now, to redirect $70 billions of your taxpayer dollars that went to ICE...not a penny more for this rogue agency that is wreaking havoc." pic.twitter.com/Pzj17WNM5l
How dare the federal government do the one job they're supposed to do — provide for the common defense and enforce the law?
Mike Rogers laid them both out.
"They talk the same way, and they vote the same way," he said. "The crazy train has arrived. It's going to be either crazy, or common sense."
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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