5 takeaways from the Michigan Senate debate

Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D) and former Rep. Mike Rogers (R) clashed over foreign policy, manufacturing and immigration during their first debate Tuesday as they battle to replace retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) in the Senate. 

Slotkin, a three-term lawmaker who has Stabenow’s endorsement, is leaving her seat in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District to run. Rogers, who served in the House from 2001-15, is running with former President Trump’s backing. 

The race for the upper-chamber seat, held by Stabenow for more than two decades, could be key to determining the majority next year. It’s one of just three Senate races rated “toss ups” by the Cook Political Report, and polling averages from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ show Slotkin just 4 percentage points ahead. 

Here are five takeaways from the debate, which was aired on The Hill’s sister news outlet WOOD-TV. 

China emerges as lightning rod 

Some of the tensest moments of the night happened when the candidates hit each other over their respective records on China, a back-and-forth that came against the backdrop of concerns over Beijing’s perceived economic influence in Michigan and its dominance in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. 

Slotkin sought to paint Rogers as weak on China by hammering him over his opposition to two EV plants being constructed in the Great Lakes State, arguing the U.S. is “ceding ground to China” in that sector.

Rogers, meanwhile, repeatedly attempted to tie Slotkin to Chinese interests in Michigan, including plans to build a Beijing-linked battery parts manufacturing plant there. Slotkin pushed back against the allegations, calling them “offensive.” 

The remarks came amid concerns in the state over how the auto industry could be impacted by the shift toward EVs. Republicans have pushed back against the planned construction of two EV plants in the state, while the Biden administration offered millions of dollars in federal grants to General Motors to convert a plant in Lansing that makes internal combustion engine cars to one that produces EVs.

During a recent rally in Michigan, Trump warned the U.S. can’t compete with China, the world’s biggest EV maker, and argued that Beijing will take over “all of your business” in the state if the U.S. moves away from traditional auto manufacturing.

Middle East tensions in spotlight

The conflict between Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East became an early but pivotal topic on the debate stage, as the escalating violence in the region is set to play a key role in a state home to the country’s largest Arab American population.

Slotkin expressed support for Israel and its right to self-defense while also voicing concern over the loss of civilian lives in Gaza and Lebanon and her backing of a cease-fire deal, a clear appeal to critics of the Biden administration’s handling of the conflict.

Rogers, meanwhile, sought to hammer Slotkin over Iran, accusing her and fellow Democrats of failing to contain the country and spurring the current crisis in the region.  

The focus on the Middle Eastern conflict, unusual for a Senate race, came amid growing worries that Democrats are bleeding support from Arab American and Muslim voters, something that could ultimately cost Vice President Harris the state in November. 

A survey from the Arab American Institute showed Trump leading his Democratic opponent by 4 points with the group, a clear warning sign for Democrats in Michigan, which has more than 200,000 Arab American and Muslim voters.

Abortion, border put candidates on defensive

Both candidates were put on defense when it came to some of the key issues vexing their respective parties. 

Slotkin was forced to answer on immigration within the first minutes of the debate when Rogers turned his answer to an early question about Federal Emergency Management Agency funding for natural disasters such as Hurricane Milton into an attack on the Democrats’ handling of the border. 

Slotkin acknowledged concerns over the issue, saying “no one is proud of what’s going on at the border” and calling the immigration system “broken.” Pressed by the moderator about the reported 10 million immigrants who have illegally crossed the border since 2021, Slotkin emphasized that the government needs to do more, while touting her homeland security bona fides, having served with the CIA. 

Meanwhile, Rogers was forced to defend himself over abortion, the issue that has dogged the GOP since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Slotkin repeatedly told viewers not to trust the Republican as he argued that he would respect Michiganders’ decision during the midterms to amend the state constitution to guarantee abortion rights.

Things get personal 

Things tipped into more personal territory at points, as Slotkin and Rogers quarreled over foreign policy and their records in Congress.  

After Rogers tried to tie Slotkin to China and bring up allegations that she signed a nondisclosure agreement with a Chinese company, Slotkin refuted the claims and suggested “the old Mike Rogers” wouldn’t have brought it to the debate floor.  

“It’s a lie. The old Mike Rogers from 2014 wouldn’t be messing around when it comes to national security, but the Mike Rogers of 2024 seems happy to do it,” Slotkin said. “I’m sad about that.”  

And after the candidates sparred over tensions in the Middle East, Rogers knocked “my opponent’s notion that their somehow serving in Iraq gives permission to be wrong in the entire effort toward Iran.” Slotkin was a CIA analyst during three tours alongside the U.S. military in Iraq.  

Later on, Slotkin jabbed Rogers over his residency, which has come under scrutiny throughout his Senate campaign. Rogers represented the state’s 8th Congressional District for more than a decade, but he reportedly moved to Florida and registered to vote there after leaving Capitol Hill. Democrats have sought to accuse Rogers of carpetbagging, and Rogers’s campaign sent a cease-and-desist earlier this year over a Slotkin ad repeating the criticism. 

“I was here in Michigan, and I voted Yes on Proposition 3,” Slotkin said, referring to the reproductive rights initiative that Michiganders approved during the midterms. “You were in Florida. You voted in Florida. You weren’t here.”

Slotkin leans into bipartisanship 

Slotkin closed the hourlong debate with an appeal to Republicans after stressing bipartisanship as a pillar of her campaign. 

“Let me just make one particular appeal to the Republicans watching today, like my dad. For the Republicans who feel like their party has left them over the last few years,” Slotkin said, “you will always have an open door in my office. You will always have a place at the table, because I want to hear from you.” 

The Democratic lawmaker pitched herself to GOP voters as “someone who actually gives a crap about you, who actually cares about getting something done the way we used to — Democrats and Republicans, civilly and decently.” 

Throughout the debate, Slotkin touted her bipartisanship while her Republican rival sought to tie her to the Biden-Harris administration. Notably, though, there were few references to either Trump or Harris during the debate.

“You can be bipartisan in an election year,” Rogers said, accusing Slotkin of voting “100 percent with the Biden-Slotkin agenda.” 

She hit back that Rogers “was literally the whip for his party, the guy who got everyone to vote with the Republicans.” Rogers was appointed deputy whip during his first term in the House back in 2001.  

Slotkin was ranked as the 14th most bipartisan House lawmaker of 2023 on the Lugar Center and the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Bipartisan Index, a tool measuring how much members of Congress reach across party lines on legislation.  

The Democrat stressed that Michigan, a critical state in the fight for control of Congress and a major battleground in the presidential race, is “very purple,” amping up the pressure to work across the aisle.