Michigan Senate debate: Key takeaways from El-Sayed, Rogers clash

El-Sayed and Rogers also tackle immigration in Michigan while Kansas candidates spar over Ukraine.

El-Sayed in face-off against rival Rogers for Michigan Senate seat

Candidates in two key United States Senate races have faced off in their final debates, less than two weeks before the November 3 midterm elections .

In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers exchanged accusations on Wednesday regarding their political views and the US-Israel war on Iran.

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In Kansas, Republican Senator Roger Marshall and his Democratic opponent, Adam Hamilton, disagreed about the rising price of diesel and President Donald Trump’s plan to import Russian fuel.

The results of both elections will influence which party ends up in control of the Senate. The Republicans currently dominate Congress’s upper chamber with 53 of its 100 seats. Democrats hold 45, and two senators are independents who caucus with the Democratic Party.

Here are some of the key takeaways from these debates:

Rogers distances himself from Trump on some topics

Rogers questioned some of Trump’s tariffs, describing them as a “mixed bag”. While he supported taking steps to bring automobile manufacturing back to Michigan from China and Mexico, he questioned the impact of tariffs on Canada.

“I have stepped back and said maybe these Canadian tariffs were not well thought through,” Rogers said, referring to the close ties between the automobile industries of the two countries.

Michigan sits on the Canadian border and is the US state with the most car-manufacturing jobs.

Rogers insisted he would put Michigan’s interests first if elected.

“If it’s good for Michigan, I’m going to be for it. If it’s bad for Michigan, I’m going to be against it,” he said.

He pushed back against El-Sayed’s repeated references to Trump.

“The bingo game ought to be how many times can he put the word Trump in any answer that he has given in the last, whatever, 30 minutes,” he said. “It’s ridiculous.”

Iran takes centre stage

El-Sayed accused Rogers of supporting the war on Iran, which he blamed for rising fuel and food prices in the US.

He said he believed Iran had posed a threat to US national security but argued that the 2015 nuclear deal, negotiated under former President Barack Obama, had helped to contain it through diplomacy.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed by Iran and several world powers, including the US. It placed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme, including strictly limiting uranium enrichment and compelling Iran to submit to international inspections, in exchange for sanctions relief.

Trump withdrew the US from the agreement in 2018, arguing that it failed to adequately address Iran’s nuclear ambitions and ballistic missile programme and support for armed groups in the region.

El-Sayed criticised Trump for abandoning the agreement during his first term and launching a war against Iran during his second.

El-Sayed argued that Americans have been left paying the price.

“The consequences of this war are that you are paying nearly $5 [per gallon, or 3.8 litres] in gas. You’re paying more in groceries because of the price of diesel,” he said.

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), regular petrol in Michigan averaged $4.44 per gallon on Wednesday, up from $2.92 a year earlier. Diesel prices rose from $3.62 to $6.41 per gallon over the same period.

El-Sayed also sought to tie Rogers to Trump, who is expected to campaign in Michigan on Sunday.

“Donald Trump is on the ballot through Mike Rogers. They are hip-to-hip on this war, and you are paying the cost,” he said.

“Mike Rogers has been promoting this war since before he was in Congress. He’s got a war for everything, and he won’t back off the war now.”

Rogers calls on Democrats

Rogers appealed to Democrats who supported Haley Stevens, whom El-Sayed defeated in the Democratic primary.

“If you were a Haley Stevens voter and you came out of this and you said, ‘Man, I just can’t do it. He’s too extreme,’ well, guess what? You’ll have a home with us,” he said, and claimed that a growing number of Democrats are now backing his campaign.

One of the more contentious moments of the debate came when Rogers suggested El-Sayed had the same supporters as groups like Hamas, allegations El-Sayed pushed back against.

“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,” Rogers said. He told reporters after the debate that he questions whether El-Sayed could get a security clearance for senators if he’s elected.

El-Sayed called the allegations “shameful”.

El-Sayed and Rogers clash over immigration and ICE

Immigration sparked another heated exchange.

Rogers defended the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, arguing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations had helped reduce crime.

“We should continue to do that. Find those folks who are committing crimes and get them the heck out of the country,” Rogers said.

El-Sayed criticised ICE’s tactics, accusing Rogers of supporting raids on schools, workplaces and places of worship.

“He supports ICE running through your streets. They don’t have to tell you who they are. They don’t have to tell you why they’re there,” El-Sayed said.

“I believe that we don’t need ICE,” he added.

Marshall blames Ukraine war for high diesel prices

Marshall said Russia’s war on Ukraine rather than the Iran war was responsible for soaring diesel prices during his final debate with his Democratic challenger.

The Republican’s comments echoed Trump’s recent criticism of Ukraine, including his claim that Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries have caused rising fuel costs.

Trump has agreed a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release stocks of Russian diesel to the US and global markets to ease prices, an idea Marshall greeted with some reservations.

“It doesn’t sound like a great idea,” Marshall said. But he added: “If this brings Russia to the bargaining table and it ends the war, then I am all for it right now.”

Hamilton responded angrily: “What you said just now is you’re going to sell out our friends in Ukraine. That’s not OK.”

Diesel prices have become a key campaign issue in Kansas, where farmers depend heavily on the fuel. According to AAA, diesel averaged $6.32 a gallon this week in the state, compared with $3.62 a year earlier.

Hamilton blamed the price rises on Trump’s war on Iran and called for a temporary suspension of federal fuel taxes. Marshall has also said he wants the war to end soon but has not committed to trying to force Trump to end it.

Democratic senatorial candidate Adam Hamilton, left, and US Senator Roger Marshall, a Republican, face off in a debate at WDAF-TV studios in Kansas City, Missouri [AFP]

ICE raids divide Kansas candidates

Hamilton criticised recent ICE raids while Marshall defended Trump’s border policies.

Both candidates expressed cautious support for making E-Verify, a system that allows employers to check whether workers are legally authorised to work in the US, mandatory for businesses.

“I think it’s a good idea. Of course, the devil’s in the details,” Marshall said, arguing that Republicans had secured the border and could now focus on fixing the immigration system.

Hamilton challenged Marshall, who had mentioned delivering babies for undocumented parents during his medical career.

“Did you also call ICE and ask them to be taken away? What did you do with these people?” Hamilton asked.

“You had compassion for them in delivering these children, but then you support quotas. They’re going to have people taken away. Hutchinson, Kansas, I was there. There was a preschool teacher arrested in front of her children,” he added.

Hamilton also criticised recent ICE raids in southwestern Kansas, warning that they were frightening workers and disrupting the agricultural industry.

“People are terrified when ICE shows up because they’ve been militarised, politicised, and so people don’t show up at work,” he said.

“We don’t want people terrified in our communities.”

Selling weapons to Israel

Hamilton criticised the use of US weapons in Gaza while Marshall defended Washington’s alliance with Israel.

Hamilton said he supported providing Israel with defensive weapons but opposed supplying bombs used in attacks on densely populated areas.

“When you see entire cities flattened in Gaza, now we’re not just talking about rooting out Hamas,” Hamilton said.

“They’re using our aid to buy our weapons and then dropping them on innocent civilians. That’s just not OK. It’s not decent. It’s not who we are as Americans.”

Marshall defended Israel as one of Washington’s closest allies and was asked whether there were circumstances in which he would block a weapons sale.

“I’m sure there is. I’m not sure what it would be,” Marshall said.

Marshall stressed the importance of strong military alliances but said Washington should prioritise domestic concerns.

“I want to make sure that our borders are secure. Let’s take care of things at home first,” he said.

埃尔-赛义德和罗杰斯也在密歇根州讨论移民问题，而堪萨斯州的候选人则就乌克兰问题展开辩论。

埃尔-赛义德将与竞争对手罗杰斯角逐密歇根州参议院席位

距离11月3日中期选举不到两周，两场关键的美国参议院选举候选人进行了最后一场辩论。

周三，密歇根州民主党人阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德和共和党人迈克·罗杰斯就他们的政治观点以及美国和以色列对伊朗的战争互相指责。

列表 1/4：为什么美国中期选举对特朗普和国会很重要？

列表 2（共 4 个）：金钱是否正在毁掉美国大选？

特朗普在期中选举前夕表示，人工智能数据中心应该带来“红利”，这是他发表的四项言论中的第三项。

美国指责加拿大干预中期选举（共4项指控，此为第4项）

在堪萨斯州，共和党参议员罗杰·马歇尔和他的民主党对手亚当·汉密尔顿在柴油价格上涨和唐纳德·特朗普总统进口俄罗斯燃料的计划上存在分歧。

这两场选举的结果都将影响参议院最终由哪个党派掌控。目前，共和党在参议院占据主导地位，拥有100个席位中的53个。民主党拥有45个席位，另有两名参议员是独立人士，他们与民主党结盟。

以下是这些辩论的一些主要结论：

罗杰斯在某些问题上与特朗普保持距离。

罗杰斯对特朗普的一些关税政策提出质疑，称其“好坏参半”。虽然他支持采取措施将汽车制造业从中国和墨西哥迁回密歇根州，但他对加征关税对加拿大的影响表示质疑。

罗杰斯说：“我已经冷静下来思考，也许加拿大征收的这些关税考虑得不够周全。”他指的是两国汽车工业之间的密切联系。

密歇根州位于美加边境，是美国汽车制造业就业岗位最多的州。

罗杰斯坚称，如果当选，他将把密歇根州的利益放在首位。

“如果对密歇根州有利，我就会支持；如果对密歇根州不利，我就会反对。”他说。

他反驳了埃尔-赛义德反复提及特朗普的说法。

他说：“应该玩个宾果游戏，看看他在过去30分钟里，在回答问题时，能把‘特朗普’这个词说多少次。这太荒谬了。”

伊朗成为焦点

埃尔-赛义德指责罗杰斯支持对伊朗的战争，他认为这场战争导致美国燃料和食品价格上涨。

他表示，他认为伊朗对美国国家安全构成了威胁，但他认为，在前总统巴拉克·奥巴马领导下谈判达成的 2015 年核协议，通过外交手段帮助遏制了伊朗。

《联合全面行动计划》（JCPOA）由伊朗和包括美国在内的几个世界大国签署。该计划对伊朗的核计划施加了限制，包括严格限制铀浓缩活动，并强制伊朗接受国际核查，以换取制裁的解除。

2018 年，特朗普宣布美国退出该协议，理由是该协议未能充分解决伊朗的核野心、弹道导弹计划以及对该地区武装团体的支持。

埃尔-赛义德批评特朗普在其第一任期内放弃了该协议，并在其第二任期内对伊朗发动了战争。

埃尔-赛义德认为，美国人为此付出了代价。

他说：“这场战争的后果是，汽油价格几乎涨到了每加仑5美元（或每3.8升）。由于柴油价格上涨，食品杂货的价格也更高了。”

据美国汽车协会（AAA）的数据显示，周三密歇根州普通汽油的平均价格为每加仑4.44美元，高于一年前的2.92美元。同期，柴油价格也从每加仑3.62美元上涨至6.41美元。

埃尔-赛义德还试图将罗杰斯与特朗普联系起来，特朗普预计将于周日在密歇根州进行竞选活动。

“唐纳德·特朗普通过迈克·罗杰斯的名字出现在选票上。他们在这场战争中步调一致，而你们正在为此付出代价，”他说。

“迈克·罗杰斯在进入国会之前就开始鼓吹这场战争。他凡事都要发动战争，现在也不会放弃这场战争。”

罗杰斯呼吁民主党人

罗杰斯向支持海莉·史蒂文斯的民主党人发出呼吁，而埃尔-赛义德在民主党初选中击败了史蒂文斯。

“如果你是海莉·史蒂文斯的选民，看完这场选举后你说，‘唉，我实在接受不了。他太极端了。’那么，猜猜会发生什么？我们会接纳你，”他说，并声称越来越多的民主党人现在支持他的竞选活动。

辩论中最具争议的时刻之一是罗杰斯暗示埃尔-赛义德与哈马斯等组织拥有相同的支持者，埃尔-赛义德对此予以反驳。

“你可以咧嘴大笑，你可以笑容满面，你可以说一口流利的话，但我告诉你，这会危害我们的国家安全，”罗杰斯说道。辩论结束后，他告诉记者，他质疑如果埃尔-赛义德当选，能否获得参议员的安全许可。

埃尔-赛义德称这些指控“可耻”。

埃尔-赛义德和罗杰斯在移民和美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）问题上发生冲突。

移民问题再次引发激烈争论。

罗杰斯为特朗普政府的移民打击行动辩护，认为移民和海关执法局 (ICE) 的行动有助于减少犯罪。

罗杰斯说：“我们应该继续这样做。找到那些犯罪分子，把他们赶出这个国家。”

埃尔-赛义德批评了美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）的策略，指责罗杰斯支持突袭学校、工作场所和宗教场所。

“他支持移民执法局（ICE）在你们的街道上巡逻。他们不必告诉你们他们是谁，也不必告诉你们他们为什么在那里，”埃尔-赛义德说道。

“我认为我们不需要美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）。”他补充道。

马歇尔将柴油价格高企归咎于乌克兰战争。

马歇尔在与民主党挑战者的最后一场辩论中表示，导致柴油价格飙升的原因是俄罗斯对乌克兰的战争，而不是伊朗战争。

这位共和党人的言论与特朗普最近对乌克兰的批评遥相呼应，包括他声称乌克兰袭击俄罗斯炼油厂导致燃料成本上涨。

特朗普与俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京达成协议，向美国和全球市场投放俄罗斯柴油库存以缓解油价上涨，马歇尔对此想法持保留意见。

“这听起来不太像个好主意，”马歇尔说。但他补充道：“如果这能促使俄罗斯回到谈判桌前，结束战争，那么我现在完全赞成。”

汉密尔顿愤怒地回应道：“你刚才说的意思是你要出卖我们在乌克兰的朋友。这绝对不行。”

柴油价格已成为堪萨斯州竞选中的一个关键议题，因为该州农民严重依赖柴油。据美国汽车协会（AAA）的数据显示，本周该州柴油均价为每加仑6.32美元，而去年同期为每加仑3.62美元。

汉密尔顿将油价上涨归咎于特朗普对伊朗的战争，并呼吁暂时中止联邦燃油税。马歇尔也表示希望这场战争尽快结束，但他并未承诺会努力迫使特朗普结束战争。

民主党参议员候选人亚当·汉密尔顿（左）和共和党参议员罗杰·马歇尔在密苏里州堪萨斯城 WDAF-TV 电视台演播室进行辩论。[法新社]

ICE突袭行动导致堪萨斯州候选人意见分歧

汉密尔顿批评了美国移民及海关执法局最近的突袭行动，而马歇尔则为特朗普的边境政策辩护。

两位候选人都谨慎地表示支持强制企业使用 E-Verify 系统，该系统允许雇主检查员工是否拥有在美国合法工作的资格。

“我认为这是个好主意。当然，魔鬼藏在细节里，”马歇尔说道，他认为共和党人已经确保了边境安全，现在可以集中精力解决移民系统问题。

汉密尔顿向马歇尔提出了质疑，马歇尔曾提到在他的行医生涯中为无证父母接生过婴儿。

“你有没有打电话给移民局，要求把他们带走？你把这些人怎么处置的？”汉密尔顿问道。

“你当初在接生这些孩子时表现出了同情心，但你现在又支持配额制。这样下去，人们会被带走。堪萨斯州哈钦森市，我就在那里。一位幼儿园老师当着孩子的面被捕了，”他补充道。

汉密尔顿还批评了美国移民及海关执法局最近在堪萨斯州西南部进行的突袭行动，警告说这些行动吓坏了工人，扰乱了农业产业。

他说：“移民执法局出现时，人们感到恐惧，因为他们已经被军事化、政治化了，所以人们不敢去上班。”

“我们不希望我们的社区里充满恐惧。”

向以色列出售武器

汉密尔顿批评了美国在加沙使用武器的做法，而马歇尔则为华盛顿与以色列的联盟辩护。

汉密尔顿表示，他支持向以色列提供防御性武器，但反对提供用于袭击人口稠密地区的炸弹。

“当你看到加沙的整个城市被夷为平地时，我们现在谈论的就不仅仅是铲除哈马斯了，”汉密尔顿说。

“他们利用我们的援助购买武器，然后把武器投放到无辜平民身上。这太不公平了。这太不体面了。这不符合我们美国人的价值观。”

马歇尔为以色列辩护，称其是华盛顿最亲密的盟友之一。有人问他，在什么情况下他会阻止对以色列的武器销售。

“我确信肯定有，但我不知道那会是什么。”马歇尔说。

马歇尔强调了强大的军事联盟的重要性，但表示华盛顿应该优先考虑国内事务。

“我想确保我们的边境安全。让我们先把国内的事情处理好，”他说。