Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers was widely ridiculed after dodging a Fox News debate with his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed.
“It tells you who he is,” El-Sayed told reporters after he was forced to stand beside an empty podium in the debate, hosted by Fox2 Detroit’s “The Pulse.” “He’s a coward. So if I were him, I wouldn’t debate me either.”
Rogers has attacked El-Sayed throughout the race for having campaigned with the progressive streamer and political activist Hasan Piker, with many of Piker’s critics condemning him for a 2019 remark in which he said “America deserved 9/11,” arguing that an attack on U.S. soil was inevitable due to American military interventionism abroad.
El-Sayed hit Rogers back, however, having recently flagged that during his previous tenure as a U.S. House representative, Rogers voted against providing health care for 9/11 first responders nine times.
“Abdul El-Sayed is now standing alone on the debate stage, as Republican Mike Rogers no-shows,” reads an online post from Democrats Deliver, a Democratic-aligned social media project launched by political activist Micah Erfan. “He is running on Medicare for All and taxing the rich.”
Prominent liberal commentator Adam Mocklercalled Rogers “too scared to debate,” and Erfan prematurely congratulated El-Sayed for what he implied was his impending Senate victory.
“Radical republicans nationwide are hiding from debates,” wrote Democratic political commentator Alice Poole in a social media post on X. “Their party has trashed the economy and protected pedophiles, and they're scared to face accountability from the American people.”
Mike Rogers is too scared to debate but wants people to vote for him??? Lmaoooo https://t.co/qtnpnnYBIo
— Adam Mockler (@adammocklerr) September 15, 2026