Rogers Skips Debate, Citing Moderator Bias

Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers did not attend a scheduled debate on Sept. 15, 2026, on Fox 2 Detroit, leaving an empty podium for him while his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, appeared alone to answer questions from voters. Rogers' campaign refused to participate, citing moderator Roop Raj's alleged bias and favoritism toward El-Sayed. The campaign pointed to Raj's past comment describing El-Sayed as "brilliant" and praise from left-wing streamer Hasan Piker as evidence of impartiality. In a statement, communications director Alyssa Brouillet said, "Michiganders deserve to see their candidates engage in a healthy, fair debate not one compromised by media bias." Raj denied the allegations on air, stating that his remark about El-Sayed was taken out of context and referred to his academic credentials as a Rhodes Scholar. He emphasized that the station asks tough questions of both Republicans and Democrats and that the Rogers campaign never responded to the invitation until the morning of the debate. El-Sayed used the event to criticize Rogers, accusing him of prioritizing a GOP convention in Dallas over debating in Michigan.