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 running with Stabenow’s endorsement, is leaving her seat in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District to run. Rogers, who served in the House from 2001 to 2015, is running with former President Trump’s backing. 

The race for the upper-chamber seat, held by Stabenow for over 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 points ahead. 

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

China emerges as lightning rod 

Some of the tensest moments of the night came 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.” 

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. 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.  

But Republicans have raised concerns over the shift toward 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 emerged as an early but pivotal topic on the debate stage, as the escalating violence in the region looks 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 support 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 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 Insitute 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.

Border, abortion puts candidates on defensive

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

Slotkin was forced to answer about the border within the first minutes of the debate when Rogers turned his answer to an early question about FEMA funding for natural disasters like Hurricane Milton into an attack on the Democrats’ handling of the border. 

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

Meanwhile, Rogers was forced to defend himself over abortion, the issue that has haunted 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 to amend the state constitution to guarantee abortion rights. 

Things get personal 

Things tipped into more personal territory at points in the debate 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 non-disclosure 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 over 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 across the aisle after stressing bipartisanship as a pillar of her campaign to represent the purple state. 

“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, the passing mentions to the White House and a couple questions on proposals from Trump and Harris stood out as the only references to the competitive presidential race at the top of the ticket. 

“You can be bipartisan in an election year,” Rogers said, accusing Slotkin of voting “100% 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 as a freshman in the House back in 2001.  

Slotkin was ranked as the 14th most bipartisan House lawmaker for 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.