Michigan Senate Race Centers on 9/11 Records and Associations

The 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks has become a central battleground in Michigan's competitive U.S. Senate race, with Republican candidate Mike Rogers and Democratic nominee Abdul ElSayed trading sharp criticisms over their respective records and associations related to the 2001 terrorist attacks. Rogers, a former congressman representing Michigan from 2001 to 2015, has intensified his campaign focus on ElSayed's past association with streamer Hasan Piker, who in 2019 made a comment that "America deserved 9/11." Rogers' campaign has run ads and shared videos linking ElSayed to Piker's remarks, a strategy highlighted at the recent Republican midterm convention in Dallas. Vice President JD Vance, speaking at the convention, stated, "The Democrats are the party of hatred. They're the party that despises America and the people who built it." In response, ElSayed has pivoted to Rogers' congressional voting record on healthcare for 9/11 first responders. During a Friday town hall, ElSayed criticized Rogers for voting against the 2010 James Zadroga Act, which provided medical treatment and financial aid to first responders and survivors of the attacks.