(The Center Square) – U.S. Senate candidates from Michigan Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers debated on a variety of issues Tuesday night, including war in the Middle East, government health programs and electric vehicles.
When asked about the Israel-Gaza war, both candidates agreed Israel has the right to defend itself, and a ceasefire deal would necessitate returning all of the hostages and ensuring Hamas and Hezbollah do not have the power to continue attacking Israel.
“We have to understand that a ceasefire deal means that you can’t project violence into that state,” Slotkin said.
Rogers took it further.
“You can’t have a government in Gaza run by Hamas, it’s a terrorist organization. They’ve clearly demonstrated who they are, they assassinated hostages in the tunnels along the way. What we have to do now is find that place where we can get those hostages out, and then have further dialogue.”
Rogers deflected on whether there is a “red line” Israel could cross that would lose his support, saying that “hypotheticals don’t work” in this discussion.
Slotkin was similarly evasive, but said that she wouldn’t support any offensive measure undertaken for Israel’s sake that would involve sending American troops overseas.
“We spent 20 years in Iraq and I served three tours there alongside the military. For me, I am not interested in having another 20 year war in the Middle East,” said Slotkin, who served as an intelligence analyst in the CIA.
With the economy and inflation continuing to list among Michigan voters’ top concerns, both candidates laid out their plans and records to help lower prices, while also accusing the other of harboring selfish interests.
Slotkin listed her work in bringing supply chains and manufacturing jobs back home, attacking health care and prescription drug price costs, and supporting child tax credits for middle class families.
Rogers said America must become energy independent for gas and grocery prices to go down, and that he would push for reigning in federal regulations and spending. He blamed most of the rise in prices on the trillions in spending by the Biden-Harris administration, looping his opponent into the blame for voting yes on every spending act.
“If you want to help the middle class, you don’t do it by raising prices. You don’t do it by absolutely reckless spending. In Washington D.C., since my opponent’s been elected, we have lost, in this state, 29,000 manufacturing jobs,” Rogers said. “You cannot continue to say you’re for the middle class and eliminate the very ability for people to work into the middle class by these high paying manufacturing jobs.”
“Mr. Rogers says that he cares about costs,” Slotkin shot back. “Mike Rogers voted five times against allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices.”
When asked about Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, Rogers said he would protect all of them by opposing cuts to Social Security, opposing the federal government from raiding the Social Security trust fund for other projects, and supporting Medicare price transparency.
But Slotkin expressed her disbelief.
“Mike Rogers voted to either privatize or cut Medicare and Social Security over and over and over again. He voted to raise the age of retirement,” she accused. “So for me, whether it’s allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices so we actually save something from Medicare, whether it’s changing retirement as we knew it, redefining it as he proposes, we couldn’t be more different on this issue.”
Rogers called her statements “dishonest and deceptive.”
“Listen, my opponent came from a very wealthy family. I did not. We came from a middle class family here in Michigan. We counted on Social Security, we counted on Medicare,” Rogers said. “These issues are big, and they’re personal, and I will do everything to protect Medicare and Social Security.”
“He voted to raise the retirement age – that’s not a fabrication, that’s in his record, it’s public. I’m not sure he remembers, he’s been down in Florida for a few years,” Slotkin shot back.
Rogers, who was born and lived in Michigan most of his life, moved down to Florida to retire after he left office in 2014. He only recently moved back up to Michigan to run for Senate.
The candidates starkly disagreed on whether electric vehicle battery manufacturing in Michigan is a good idea for the state, with Slotkin arguing they would support domestic manufacturing and Rogers deeming them a security risk.
“America should build the next generation of vehicles. Literally, it’s either going to be us or China. Right now China is eating our lunch on these types of vehicles,” Slotkin said. “I want Michigan to build them.”
Rogers remained opposed, arguing that the electric grid isn’t ready for a total EV transition, which he accused Slotkin of backing, and that the Michigan plants would still have to source 85% of EV components from China.
“You beat China by selling Americans cars they wanna buy,” Rogers argued, referencing hybrid vehicles as an interim step.
The conversation then pivoted to the controversial Gotion High-Tech EV battery plant planned for Michigan, which has raised national security concerns due to its numerous ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Rogers accused Slotkin of signing a non-disclosure agreement about Gotion, a recurring theme throughout his campaign which Slotkin vehemently denied during the debate.
“I have never signed an NDA with any Chinese government, Chinese entity, Chinese company, at all. I found out about that plant when it was in the paper. He repeats it. It is a lie,” she said.
Slotkin did sign an NDA about two potential economic development projects in Michigan, but the documents did not name Gotion specifically.
Slotkin also cited her role in legislation that would ban China from buying farmland and manufacturing sites in the U.S., and accused Rogers of giving Chinese companies access to American telecommunications while he worked as a cybersecurity advisor at AT&T–a disproven accusation she had placed in campaign ads before lawyers from Rogers’ campaign sent a cease-and-desist letter.
Both candidates expressed full support of the reopening of Michigan’s Palisades Nuclear Power Plant, with Slotkin arguing the U.S. needs energy diversity and Rogers saying more power is needed for future EV usage or AI data centers.
On abortion, Rogers took the “states argument” side, saying he respects the will of Michigan voters on Proposal 3–which guaranteed abortion as a right in the state’s constitution–and would not do anything to change abortion access in Michigan if elected. He called abortion the “most heart-wrenching decision a woman will ever have to make” and says he fully supports mandatory insurance coverage of IVF treatments.
Slotkin, who said she would vote on a bill to codify Roe v. Wade protections into law, told voters not to trust Rogers based on his record of voting for abortion restrictions 20 years ago.
“When it comes to our rights and protecting ourselves, I think it is important that we have someone in the seat who does that,” Slotkin said. “If he does not trust us to protect our own rights, do not trust him.”
On immigration, Slotkin didn’t say whether she would support former president Donald Trump-era border measures like the Remain in Mexico policy.
“Our immigration system is broken. It’s been broken for a long time, and what’s going on at the southern border, no one is proud of,” Slotkin said. “To me, if you are not here legally, you should not be here.”
She said she supports “legal, vetted immigration,” and was in favor of the bipartisan Senate border bill in February and blamed Republicans for the bill’s failure.
Rogers called it a “disaster of a bill” with bipartisan opposition. Rogers evaded answering whether he would support Trump’s mass-deportation plan, but said he would work to secure the border “first thing” if elected to office.
In her closing statement, Slotkin pledged to work in a bipartisan way and urged Michiganders to look at her record and “vote for someone who actually gives a crap about you.”
Rogers countered by urging Michiganders to vote based on comparing their standard of living to four years ago.
“Families are hurting from the policies that have come out of Washington D.C. The choice here could not be clearer,” Rogers said. “I will have your back.”
