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. 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 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. 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 bad for Michigan, I’m going to be against it,” he said. He pushed back against El-Sayed’s repeated references to Trump.
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.
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