Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers defended his absence from a televised event on Sept. 15, asserting that his campaign never committed to the appearance. The event, hosted by FOX 2 Detroit, featured his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, while leaving an empty podium for Rogers.
Rogers told CBS News Detroit that the event was mischaracterized as a debate, describing it instead as a “town hall” that his team did not authorize. He further alleged that the moderator displayed clear favoritism, stating, “When you have someone who’s already picked their candidate, you can’t have a two-on-one event in a TV studio.”
The network stated that both candidates were invited to the event on Aug. 5. While El-Sayed accepted the invitation the following day, the Rogers campaign maintains that no agreement was ever reached or placed on their official schedule. Rogers criticized the station’s decision to display an empty podium for him during the broadcast as “highly unprofessional.”
El-Sayed, speaking after the event, argued that Rogers was intentionally avoiding public scrutiny regarding his voting record and his alignment with former President Donald Trump. He specifically suggested that Rogers was unprepared to address policy questions concerning tariffs on Canadian trade and the costs associated with ongoing military conflicts. El-Sayed also noted that Rogers found time to attend the Republican convention in Dallas during the same period he declined the Detroit engagement.
Despite the current friction, both campaigns have confirmed their participation in two future debates scheduled for Oct. 8 and Oct. 21 in Michigan.