In a heated Michigan Senate debate on Wednesday, Republican candidate Mike Rogers accused his Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist organizations, raising questions about El-Sayed’s national security loyalties. The exchange marked the second and final debate in the closely watched contest for the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
Rogers, a former congressman and FBI agent, cited a 2012 open letter to the Muslim Brotherhood that El-Sayed allegedly signed and highlighted campaign donations linked to groups he described as terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah. “If you are going to go to the United States Senate, we need to know, are you for America? Or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?” Rogers said, warning that El-Sayed’s affiliations pose a threat to national security.
El-Sayed, a former Michigan public health official, strongly rejected the accusations. He condemned Rogers for questioning his loyalties and dismissed the allegations as unfounded. “I’ve never been a part of that organization,” El-Sayed said, adding that attacks on his family’s background were “really quite beneath you, Mike.” He emphasized his pride in being American and committed to upholding the Constitution.
Central to Rogers’ attack was El-Sayed’s mother, Fatten Elkomy, who was born in Egypt and worked as a psychiatric nurse in Missouri. Court documents identified her as a former employee of the Islamic American Relief Agency, classified as a terrorist entity by the U.S. government. Additionally, Elkomy has been described as an activist with the Muslim Brotherhood, based on social media posts from El-Sayed’s half-sister.
The debate grew contentious as El-Sayed asserted his right to speak without interruption, rebuking Rogers for repeatedly raising these issues. Rogers sought to appeal to moderate Democrats dissatisfied with El-Sayed’s perceived radicalism. “If you’re worried... you’re a Haley Stevens voter and you think he’s too extreme, you’ll have a home with us,” Rogers said in his closing remarks.
This confrontation follows a first debate earlier in October marked by sharp exchanges on Middle East policy. El-Sayed declined to rank Iran or Israel as the greater threat to U.S. security, calling the question “ridiculous,” while Rogers indicated he would reconsider support for Israel if it used nuclear weapons. Both candidates previously accused each other of being influenced by extremist interests or corporate donors.
Michigan GOP officials praised Rogers’ debate performance, with state party chairman Jim Runestad labeling him the “commonsense, steady hand Michiganders want” and warning against “far-left, big-government policies” under El-Sayed. Runestad also criticized El-Sayed’s associations with controversial figures and alleged sympathies toward a recent terrorist attack in Bloomfield Hills.
The Michigan Senate race remains highly competitive, with recent polls showing a narrow lead for El-Sayed. As control of the U.S. Senate may hinge on this contest, both campaigns are intensifying efforts in the final days ahead of the November 3 election.