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- Caroline Mercer via fox - Politics
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Rogers Warns Michigan Voters Against El-Sayed's «Extreme» Agenda
ReRogers Warns Michigan Voters Against El-Sayed's «Extreme» Agenda
Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers used a Fox News town hall to portray Democrat Abdul El-Sayed as a «manufactured candidate» with a «pattern of deception,» while touting a ground operation that has knocked on nearly 6 million doors across Michigan.
Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers warned Michigan voters that Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's policies would damage the state, using a Fox News town hall with host Sean Hannity to portray his rival as a «manufactured candidate» with a «pattern of deception.» Rogers said El-Sayed has misrepresented his political positions and argued that his agenda is out of step with the state.
«He is the most extreme candidate,» Rogers said during the Monday event. «He has called for defunding the police. He has called for letting criminals out of prison.» The Republican also criticized El-Sayed's support for the Green New Deal, saying the proposal «for Michigan is a killer.»
Rogers used the appearance to promote his campaign's ground operation, saying volunteers have knocked on nearly 6 million doors across Michigan. He said the responses at those doors suggest voters are motivated to turn out against El-Sayed's agenda. «That's the energy, and what we're getting off of those doors is, 'Yes, we're voting,' 'No, we're not going to be a DSA state,' 'No, we're not going to let this happen on our watch,'» Rogers said.
The Republican also claimed his campaign is drawing support from voters who traditionally back Democrats, presenting that shift as evidence that El-Sayed's positions are alienating parts of the electorate. He did not offer specific polling or internal data to support the assertion.
During the town hall, Rogers took questions from voters, including a Jewish woman who said she sometimes feels afraid to show her Jewish identity in public. Rogers said he had heard similar accounts from Jewish students at the University of Michigan who told him they concealed religious symbols because they were being harassed.
On policy, Rogers pointed to housing, education and skilled trades as priorities. He said he wants to make it easier for young adults to buy homes and to bring more defense industry work to the state. He also called for restoring shop classes in Michigan high schools, arguing that expanding skilled-trade education would give students more paths to well-paying careers.
Rogers closed by returning to his criticism of El-Sayed's policies, arguing that Michigan «cannot afford» them. «We certainly can't risk his ideology,» he said. El-Sayed's campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.
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