Candidate
Democrat
Abdul El-Sayed
Physician · former public-health official
Physician and former Detroit and Wayne County health leader focused on universal coverage, affordable housing, clean water and stronger worker protections.
Michigan Senate · 2026 · Candidate comparison
Abdul El-Sayed vs. Mike Rogers
A physician and a former intelligence chair offer starkly different answers on health care, jobs, housing, the Great Lakes, and power in Washington.
At a glance
The candidates in this race.
VS
Candidate
Republican
Mike Rogers
Former U.S. representative · former House Intelligence chair
A former Michigan state senator, Army lieutenant, FBI special agent, and U.S. representative who chaired the House Intelligence Committee.
Where they stand
Where they differ.
El-Sayed
Medicare for All with dental, vision, and hearing coverage and no premiums, copays, or deductibles.
01
What is the health-care plan?
Rogers
Target pharmaceutical pricing, insurance denials, and hospital transparency to lower costs.
El-Sayed
Strengthen unions and antitrust enforcement, invest in homebuilding, and tax very high wealth and income.
02
How should Michigan build an economy that works?
Rogers
Bring back manufacturing and use tax incentives and deregulation to spur homebuilding.
El-Sayed
Shut down Line 5 and build toward fully renewable energy with union jobs.
03
What happens to Line 5 and climate policy?
Rogers
Put American energy independence and lower fuel costs at the center of his economic plan.
El-Sayed
Abolish ICE and shift funding to immigration courts and legal pathways to citizenship.
04
How should immigration enforcement work?
Rogers
His campaign foregrounds border security within its America-first economic and national-security framing.
Policy priorities.
Abdul El-Sayed
DemocratGuarantee comprehensive Medicare for All
Would extend Medicare to everyone, including dental, vision and hearing care, without premiums, copayments or deductibles.
Build housing and protect renters
Supports federal homebuilding investment, a ban on large corporate homeownership and restrictions on rental price-fixing software.
Strengthen unions and worker pay
Supports union organizing, stronger workplace protections and a worker voice in trade and industrial policy.
Protect the Great Lakes and clean energy
Supports closing Line 5, stronger pollution standards and investment in renewable power, storage and the grid.
Abolish ICE and fund immigration courts
Would replace ICE with a different enforcement structure and redirect resources toward courts and legal citizenship pathways.
Limit corporate spending in elections
Supports overturning Citizens United, public campaign funding, spending caps and limits on outside political spending.
Mike Rogers
RepublicanHealth-care costs
Says he would target pharmaceutical pricing, insurance denials, and hospital price transparency.
Manufacturing
Pledges to bring manufacturing jobs back to Michigan.
Homeownership
Proposes using 529 savings for first-home down payments, credit for on-time rent payments, deregulation, and tax-free construction zones.
Energy costs
Emphasizes lower gasoline costs and American energy independence.
The backgrounds
Public careers.
Abdul El-Sayed
Detroit health director
Led the city health department as it rebuilt following Detroit’s bankruptcy.
Wayne County health director
Led the county’s Health, Human and Veterans Services department.
Expanded access to children’s glasses
His health-department work included providing free glasses for children who needed them.
Mike Rogers
1995–2000
Michigan Senate
Served in the Michigan Senate, including as majority floor leader.
2001–2015
U.S. House
Represented Michigan in the U.S. House for seven terms.
2011–2015
House Intelligence chair
Chaired the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
2026
Senate nominee
Won the Republican nomination for Michigan's open Senate seat.
The record.
Abdul El-Sayed
DemocratPolicy choice
Calls for abolishing ICE
El-Sayed's campaign says Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be abolished, with resources redirected toward immigration courts and legal pathways to citizenship.
Why it matters: A stated policy position, not an allegation or official finding.
Campaign tactic
Campaign appearances with Hasan Piker drew scrutiny
El-Sayed appeared with streamer Hasan Piker during the Democratic primary. After renewed attention to Piker's 2019 comment about 9/11, El-Sayed called it 'dumb' and said Piker does not speak for his campaign.
Why it matters: The public association is documented; El-Sayed explicitly distanced himself from the comment.
Policy choice
Supports an arms embargo on Israel
El-Sayed supports an arms embargo on Israel and has described Israel's military campaign in Gaza as genocide.
Why it matters: Israel and the U.S. government reject that characterization; this entry describes El-Sayed's stated foreign-policy position.
Mike Rogers
RepublicanDocumented outcome
Voted against the Zadroga Act
In 2010, Rogers voted against House passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which created health and compensation programs for people affected by the attacks.
Why it matters: A recorded House vote that remains part of his congressional record.
Policy choice
Defended NSA bulk phone-record collection
As House Intelligence chair, Rogers defended the NSA's bulk telephone-metadata program after it was disclosed and said the program had produced no privacy violations.
Why it matters: A high-profile security-versus-privacy position from his time leading the Intelligence Committee.
Campaign tactic
Made terrorist-funding allegation without proof
At the 2026 Republican convention, Rogers alleged that El-Sayed was funded by terrorist groups including the Muslim Brotherhood.
Why it matters: The Associated Press reported that Rogers offered no proof; the allegation is campaign rhetoric, not an established fact about El-Sayed.
Sources.
- 01Abdul for Senate - priorities
- 02Candidate biography
- 03Abdul for Senate - Medicare for All
- 04Abdul for Senate - money in your pocket
- 05Abdul for Senate - full policy platform
- 06City of Detroit health director record
- 07Wayne County health director tenure
- 08Associated Press - El-Sayed and Republican attacks
- 09Associated Press - Michigan Senate primary foreign-policy divide
- 10Mike Rogers campaign
- 11U.S. House History - Mike Rogers biography
- 12Mike Rogers campaign - health-care plan
- 13Mike Rogers campaign - housing plan
- 14Associated Press - Michigan Senate primary
- 15U.S. House Clerk - H.R. 847 roll call
- 16CBS News - Rogers on NSA phone records
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