‘Con Man’ & ‘Cowardly’: Personal Attacks Dominate Georgia, Maine & Michigan Senate Debates/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Candidates in Michigan, Georgia and Maine exchanged sharp personal attacks Thursday during debates in three races critical to Senate control. Democrats challenged Republican ties to President Donald Trump, while Republicans questioned their opponents’ backgrounds, associations and policy records. Tariffs, the Iran war, ethics allegations and abortion rights fueled contentious exchanges as the midterm battleground expands.
Quick Look
- Michigan: Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed clashed over tariffs, the Iran war, medical credentials and family associations.
- Georgia: Jon Ossoff pressed Mike Collins on Trump’s policies, ethics scrutiny and his association with a white nationalist.
- Maine: Susan Collins demanded an apology after Troy Jackson made an unsupported allegation about profiting from the Iran war.
- Trade disputes: Democrats argued Trump’s tariffs have raised costs and harmed businesses and farmers.
- Abortion: Collins and Jackson both supported federal protections but challenged each other’s records.
- National stakes: All three contests are important to determining Senate control.
Deep Look
Personal Insults Define Three Major Senate Debates
Personal attacks quickly overtook Thursday night’s Senate debates in Michigan, Georgia and Maine, exposing the intensity of contests that could determine which party controls the chamber.
In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff challenged Republican Rep. Mike Collins over his association with a white nationalist and what Ossoff described as his “childlike devotion” to President Donald Trump.
In Michigan, Republican Mike Rogers repeatedly called Democrat Abdul El-Sayed a “con man” and questioned his medical credentials.
El-Sayed responded with his own criticism: “Weak. Cowardly. Won’t stand up until his poll numbers drop.”
Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins forcefully defended her integrity against Democratic challenger Troy Jackson.
The debates came as rising Democratic enthusiasm has expanded the competitive Senate map into states Trump won comfortably in 2024.
Michigan Tariffs Debate Puts Rogers’ Trump Relationship Under Scrutiny
Trump’s 50% tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian goods have hurt Michigan’s economy, giving El-Sayed an opening to challenge Rogers’ relationship with the president.
Rogers said he had called Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that week to discuss completing a trade agreement with Canada.
“This is about getting the best deal possible. I’d like to see it end. I think we need to end it. And I — matter of fact, I made those phone calls this week,” Rogers said.
El-Sayed pointed to Rogers’ earlier support for the tariffs and argued that his recent change “has everything to do with his sagging poll numbers.”
He also accused Rogers of having “cheer-led this war the entire time” regarding the Iran conflict.
El-Sayed said Michigan’s next senator must “stand up to Trump and Trumpism,” adding of Rogers: “You can tell he’s not going to stand up to anybody.”
El-Sayed Mocks Rogers’ Canadian Beer Advertisement
El-Sayed criticized a recent Rogers television advertisement showing him at a bar with a Canadian beer while opposing Trump’s tariffs on Canada.
“He’s doing an ad, drinking Labatt, and talking about the Red Wings, pretending like he was not for this the entire time,” El-Sayed said. “Be serious, my guy. Like, just be serious. People deserve to know they have a leader who’s going to be serious about policy.”
The exchanges reflected a broader Democratic effort to hold Republican candidates accountable for policies they previously supported.
Rogers Questions El-Sayed’s Credentials and Associations
Rogers argued that El-Sayed is “not what he says he is. He’s actually selling the best con I think I’ve ever seen.”
“If somebody came into his office and he tried to treat that patient, he’d go to jail,” Rogers said.
El-Sayed earned a medical degree from Columbia University but does not practice clinical medicine. He has held public health positions in the Detroit area.
Rogers also accused El-Sayed, who is Muslim, of receiving support from interests connected to Islamic terrorism.
“He can’t condemn Hamas. He can’t condemn the Muslim Brotherhood,” Rogers said. “He gets money from people who support, openly, Hamas, Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda.”
El-Sayed largely declined to debate those accusations individually, saying Rogers wanted the election to be “about him or me, but the question is about you.”
He also accused Rogers of seeking office again to position himself for millions in private-sector earnings.
The candidates continued arguing during a commercial break, prompting the moderator to note that he had never previously seen such an exchange continue when viewers were not watching.
Family References Intensify Michigan Exchange
Rogers raised the employment of El-Sayed’s mother at the Islamic American Relief Agencya nonprofit the Treasury Department designated in 2004 as supporting terrorism.
“Are you going after my mom?” asked El-Sayed, who was primarily raised in Michigan by his father and stepmother.
“I was going after that organization that was indicted for funneling money to Al Qaeda,” Rogers replied. “Look, that’s your mom. My mom worked at a small chamber of commerce. I’ll put my mom up any day for that.”
El-Sayed described himself as a “dad and a doctor” seeking to “get money out of politics, put money in your pocket and pass Medicare for All.”
He said Rogers “wants this to be about anything but his own record.”
Ossoff Challenges Mike Collins Over Tariffs and Trump
In Georgia, Ossoff repeatedly questioned how Trump’s tariffs had benefited residents, citing effects on farmers and grocery costs.
When a moderator asked about balancing competition with China and Georgia manufacturing, Collins defended the tariffs as “making it fair.”
“Go buy groceries,” Ossoff responded. “No one in this state seriously believes these tariffs are working, Congressman. It’s been a disaster.”
Ossoff also challenged Collins to defend his support for Trump’s agenda.
“I doubt he’ll have the courage to do so,” he said.
Collins answered by calling Ossoff “an extremist who’s voted for men to go in girls’ sports” and “a trust fund kid who’s never had a job in his life.”
Ethics Investigation Fuels Georgia Confrontation
Ossoff raised an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations that Collins’ congressional office misused taxpayer funds.
Collins dismissed the inquiry as a “nothingburger” and accused Ossoff of avoiding scrutiny of his own record.
“All he wants to do is slander and try to slam me,” Collins said.
Collins also faced questions about his son-in-law, a white nationalist influencer who has posted antisemitic material and Nazi imagery online.
Mike Collins Avoids Trump Mentions and Targets Democratic Allies
Ossoff invoked Trump’s name 16 times, frequently linking him directly to Collins.
Collins largely avoided mentioning the president, apart from highlighting TrumpRx, a prescription drug program White House officials have encouraged Republicans to promote.
He presented himself as a bipartisan legislator who helped “get two bills signed by two presidents of different parties.”
Collins sought to connect Ossoff to more polarizing figures on the left, asserting that he “recruited, supported and endorsed Abdul El-Sayed.”
He mentioned progressive commentator Hasan Piker three times. Piker was not discussed during the Michigan debate, despite Republican criticism of El-Sayed’s primary campaign appearances with him.
Collins also attacked Ossoff’s financial support from LinkedIn co-founder and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman.
“He wants to take control of this country with these weird and dangerous ideas with his radical friends,” Collins said.
He appealed directly to voters: “Help me get to the US Senate. Help me get there, and I’ll answer to Georgia.”
Susan Collins Demands Apology Over Unsupported Iran War Claim
In Maine, Jackson repeatedly accused Susan Collins of failing to stand up to Trump.
The most heated exchange followed Jackson’s allegation, made without evidence, that Collins and her husband were “making money” from the Iran war.
“That is absolutely outrageous and you owe me an apology,” Collins said. “That is absolutely outrageous, to say that my husband and I are making money off the war in Iran, is absolutely outrageous.”
Jackson replied: “No, you owe me an apology.”
Collins also rejected allegations in a recent ProPublica report concerning a purported pay-to-play arrangement involving her office and a defense contractor.
“I have served Maine with integrity the entire time and I deeply resent these false allegations,” she said.
Maine Candidates Challenge Each Other’s Abortion Records
Collins and Jackson addressed abortion more extensively Thursday than during their first debate Tuesday.
Asked whether he supported federal abortion-rights protections, Jackson said he did and acknowledged his earlier opposition to abortion.
“I’m sure Sen. Collins is going to bring this up, but our records have changed: Mine has gotten better, hers has gotten worse.”
Collins said she supports federal protections and has already written legislation to codify abortion rights following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.
She argued that she had been more consistently “pro-choice” than Jackson.
“He was an extremist when it comes to abortion,” Collins said.
Jackson disavowed his previous positions and argued that he could acknowledge mistakes while Collins could not.
He cited her continued defense of her 2018 vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, who later joined the Supreme Court majority overturning Roe.
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