Attacks, accusations fly between Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers in US Senate debate

On the issues, the economy was top of mind, but the debate also delved into tariffs, foreign policy, artificial intelligence and health care.

On October 3, 2024, Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers faced off in their first televised Senate debate at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, lasting 92 minutes. El-Sayed, a former Detroit health director, criticized Rogers for voting in favor of the 2022 CHIPS Act while accepting $850,000 from semiconductor firms such as Intel and TSMC. Rogers countered that El-Sayed’s plan to create a $200 billion federal AI research fund would increase the deficit by 0.7% of GDP, citing a Congressional Budget Office estimate. Both candidates agreed on the need to expand broadband access, referencing a Federal Communications Commission report that 12% of Michigan households lack high‑speed internet.

Rogers proposed a 10% tariff on imported Chinese steel, which the Michigan Manufacturers Association estimates would add $800 to the average price of a new vehicle sold in the state. For a household buying one new car every five years, that translates to an extra $160 per year in out‑of‑pocket costs. El‑Sayed warned that the same tariff could provoke retaliatory measures that would cut Michigan’s agricultural exports by $150 million annually, affecting farm incomes.

Michigan’s Senate contests have increasingly turned on technology policy since the 2020 race, when both major parties highlighted 5G deployment as a jobs driver. In 2022, the state’s auto industry lobbied successfully for federal subsidies that lowered battery costs by 18%, a precedent that candidates now reference when discussing AI‑driven manufacturing. Insiders note that El‑Sayed’s background in public health gives him a unique edge in framing AI as a safety issue, a tactic used by Democrats in the 2021 Ohio gubernatorial race to sway suburban voters.

The next major event is the Michigan Senate primary debate hosted by Detroit Public Television on October 17, 2024, where both candidates will release detailed AI policy white papers. El‑Sayed’s campaign has pledged to unveil a proposal for a public‑option AI audit system modeled after the FDA’s drug approval process, a first for a federal campaign. Rogers will respond with a plan to create a bipartisan Senate AI oversight committee, aiming to have its charter voted on by the Senate Rules Committee by November 5, 2024. Despite their stark rhetoric, both candidates have accepted contributions from the same venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz, which donated $250,000 to each campaign in the last quarter.