How It's Done: Here's How We Know Abdul El-Sayed Knows Mike Rogers Has Him on the Ropes

On Wednesday night, the last debate between the two nominees in the Michigan Senate race was held, and I think it's safe to say that there was a clear winner: Mike Rogers.

As we reported, the former GOP congressman mopped the floor with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, with Rogers appearing "loose, relaxed, and the happy warrior ready to rumble," as my RedState colleague Jennifer Oliver O'Connell described. At the same time, El-Sayed "looked pasty and sweaty, as if he were fighting off some kind of bug — or maybe he was just feeling that fried chicken he ate the other night — and not in a good way." 

Whatever the case may be, Rogers flattened his opponent on issues like education, ICE, supporting law enforcement, and, most importantly, on loyalty to America and Michiganders like our sweet friend and colleague Thomas LaDuke:

"So, being bought off by the Muslim Brotherhood, having donors to his campaign from Hamas that support Hezbollah, is not a problem? If you are going to go to the United States Senate, we need to know: are you for America or are you for these terrorist groups overseas? You can grin, and you can smile, and you can talk real pretty, but I’m going to tell you what, that is a risk to our national security."

The moment was pretty epic. Watch:

That was a haymaker. After Abdul El-Sayed claimed that Mike Rogers is “bought off” by weapons manufacturers and AIPAC, Rogers dropped the gloves and peeled back the curtain on his radical ties. He called out the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and Hezbollah by name before dropping a legendary line: ROGERS: “If you are going to go to the United States Senate, we need to know, are you for America or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?” El-Sayed grinned back at him. Rogers wasn’t finished. “Well, you can grin and you can smile and you talk real pretty, but I’m going to tell you what — that is a RISK to our national security.” Brutal.

— Overton (@overton_news) October 22, 2026

This has been a bruising campaign battle, to say the least, with El-Sayed at times bizarrely leaning in on his supposedly superior physical characteristics, at one point even seeming to suggest he'd love to beat up Rogers, who is 20 years older than him, on a football field.

Because of that, let's talk in language El-Sayed understands: He knows Mike Rogers has him on the ropes, and his reaction to what happened at the debate proves it:

You know a debate went well when the first statement a candidate puts out is “I’m not a socialist.”

— Matt Whitlock (@MattWhitlock) October 22, 2026

I mean, here El-Sayed is, 12 days out from Election Day, trying to reinvent himself. Again. He's a capitalist (false). He's not a socialist, nor is he supported by the DSA (also false).

Here a DSA National co-chair praises Abdul El-Sayed: https://t.co/AqZq5t8EP0

— The Midwesterner (@Th_Midwesterner) October 22, 2026

Senator Bernie Sanders wants Abdul El-Sayed in the Senate so they can achieve Socialist healthcare: "Dr. El-Sayed is someone I need in the Senate as he fights for Medicare-for-All." https://t.co/3y3pxcB31f

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 2, 2026

Yeah. We know who El-Sayed really is. Mike Rogers knows who El-Sayed really is. And judging by the polls, an increasing number of Michigan voters know who El-Sayed really is, too. Will it be enough to defeat him on November 3? We'll find out soon enough.

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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