Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers did not attend Tuesday’s debate over the moderator’s “favoritism” toward his opponent.
A statement from the Republican’s campaign made it clear that he believes there would be no chance of receiving fair treatment during the debate, claiming moderator Roop Raj’s bias made him incapable of providing such an environment.
“Team Rogers released the following statement on refusing to attend the Fox 2 Detroit TV debate due to concerns with the moderator’s bias and favoritism,” it reads.
“Michiganders deserve to see their candidates engage in a healthy, fair debate — not one compromised by media bias. Roop Raj has made his position clear, from praising Abdul as ‘brilliant,’ to being celebrated by Hasan Piker as ‘my GOAT,’ and bragging about his political stunts. Mike looks forward to making his case to working families and to making Abdul answer to voters for the conman he is,” said communications director Alyssa Brouillet.
The statement went on to accuse the moderator of continuing to “conduct himself in a manner that is inconsistent with the level of gravity required to moderate a debate for the number one U.S. Senate race in the country.”
Roop Raj issued a response to the criticism on Good Day Detroit:
Nothing we do at this station is trying to take a side. We ask tough questions about Republicans and Democrats each and every night on our political talk show, The Pulse. But as you can imagine, the narrative is the narrative. And for whatever reason, the Rogers camp did not want to do a debate with FOX 2.
ADVERTISEMENTIt is rare to cite a moderator as a reason not to want to face an opponent. But that is what we have here this morning.
As for his previous glowing review of El-Sayed, Raj claims he was discussing the candidate’s medical background, and that doesn’t necessarily mean he agrees with his policies.
“We were framing a question in that moment where people had questioned whether (El-Sayed) was actually a doctor or not a doctor, whether he was qualified for office or not. I essentially was saying, look, this is a guy who, by all accounts, is a smart guy. They’re both tremendous political athletes,” Raj explained.
Ultimately, the dust-up means that El-Sayed stood by himself at the podium, with nobody to question his claims or offer an alternative viewpoint for voters to consider before heading to the polls.
Look:
A look at tonight’s Michigan U.S. Senate debate from our sister station @FOX2Detroit, where Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (D) showed up, while former Rep. Mike Rogers (R) didn’t because he objected to the moderator, my colleague @RoopRajFOX2. His response: https://t.co/UhzAwKPzFl pic.twitter.com/6yhgqqrC8u
— Jim Lokay (@Lokay) September 16, 2026
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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