Rogers says he ‘never agreed’ to El-Sayed debate: It would’ve been ‘2-on-1’

Rogers Declines Detroit Event, Citing Concerns About Moderator Neutrality

Provpnadvice.com – Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers defended his decision to skip a televised event with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, arguing that the format and moderator would have made the appearance unfair.

El-Sayed proceeded with the Tuesday program on Fox 2 Detroit, speaking for roughly an hour beside an unoccupied podium after Rogers announced he would not participate. The dispute has become an early flashpoint in the contest to fill the Senate seat being vacated by outgoing Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.).

Rogers Says Event Was Not a Mutually Agreed Debate

Rogers said he had not committed to appearing at the program and challenged its description as a debate. He maintained that the event resembled a town hall planned without his campaign’s agreement.

“Well, first of all, it’s not a debate. It’s a town hall. We never agreed to it. And the one thing that’s been consistent is [Fox 2 Detroit anchor] Roop Raj has picked his candidate. We saw it in the debate between Abdul and Haley Stevens.”

Rogers was referring to El-Sayed’s Democratic primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens. The Republican said Raj’s past comments about El-Sayed made him unsuitable to moderate an event involving the two candidates.

“You have someone who’s already picked their candidate, you can’t have a 2-on-1 event in a TV studio. I’ve really never quite seen anything like this in the media. I think it’s highly unprofessional.”

The candidate rejected the idea that his absence meant he was avoiding a direct exchange with El-Sayed. Rogers noted that two televised debates involving the Senate contenders are already scheduled for October, providing voters with future opportunities to compare their positions and campaigns.

He also argued that a television outlet should not be able to designate an event as a debate and publicly pressure a candidate to attend after setting the date itself.

“But you can’t have a media outlet set a date and say, ‘This is a debate and you must be here or we’re going to put an open podium on here.’ That’s highly unprofessional.”

Raj Rejects Favoritism Allegation

Raj has disputed Rogers’s accusation that he favored El-Sayed. During Fox 2’s “Good Day Detroit,” he said the Rogers campaign did not want to participate in the debate “for whatever reason.”

The anchor acknowledged previously describing El-Sayed as “brilliant,” citing his experience as a Rhodes Scholar. Raj also said he considers both Senate candidates “tremendous political athletes.”

Before the event, Raj urged Rogers to attend in an opinion piece published by The Detroit Free Press. He wrote that the campaign had highlighted clips from programs he hosted as evidence of bias, but said those shows had included both praise and criticism of Rogers and El-Sayed.

“This is not personal. I have interviewed Rogers multiple times on TV, and on stage at a forum when he ran against now-U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin. There was no issue then. We have no issue now.”

The disagreement illustrates how campaign events can become arguments over format, moderation and access before candidates even reach the stage. Rogers’s position is that the appearance lacked the neutral conditions needed for a legitimate debate, while Raj has said the invitation was made in good faith.

El-Sayed Uses Empty Podium to Criticize Opponent

El-Sayed used Rogers’s absence as a central theme during the program. Referring to the missing Republican candidate, he joked that “the elephant was not in the room,” invoking the Republican Party’s traditional symbol.

He then contrasted the Detroit event with Rogers’s recent appearance at the Republican National Committee midterm convention in Dallas. El-Sayed said Rogers had delivered remarks there for six minutes and 48 seconds, but had declined what he characterized as an hour-long opportunity to speak with Michigan voters.

“It’s wild to me that this guy is more interested in going to speak for what? Six minutes and 48 seconds in Dallas than he is to have 60 minutes with Michiganders here in Detroit. But it tells you who he is, he’s a coward.”

The race remains significant for both parties because it will determine who succeeds Peters in the Senate. Campaign disagreements over debates can matter beyond a single television appearance: they shape how candidates try to define one another on accessibility, confidence and willingness to face criticism.

Decision Desk HQ’s polling model gave El-Sayed a 66 percent chance of winning the contest as of Wednesday night. That estimate reflects the state of the race at that point, while the scheduled October debates could offer a more direct test of the competing candidates before voters make their decision.