GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The candidates vying for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat laid out their view on key points throughout a debate Tuesday, discussing the financial system, the automotive business, Social Safety and Medicare, and immigration, in addition to taking the chance to throw just a few verbal jabs.
Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican, and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat met for an hourlong debate at WOOD TV8.
Watch a replay of the controversy beneath. Click on right here for a replay with on-screen captions.
Rogers, Slotkin hope debate helps sway undecided voters
In her opening assertion, delivered first as decided by an earlier coin toss, Slotkin touted her time within the CIA below each Republican and Democratic presidents.
“I’m running for the U.S. Senate because I believe we must enhance and strengthen the middle class. Michigan invented the middle class,” Slotkin mentioned. “That means jobs with dignity and it means bringing down the costs that are eating a hole in people’s pocketbooks.”
She referred to as on voters to verify each her and Rogers’ information.
Rogers additionally referenced his background in regulation enforcement and targeted on excessive costs in his opening assertion.
“When you look at the challenges we have … why would we even get back into this business, if you will? It’s because people, our families, are hurting in Michigan. They can’t afford gas, they can’t afford their electric bill. We have folks that are going to food pantries at the end of the month. We don’t have to do it that way,” Rogers mentioned.
Each candidates thanked WOOD TV8 for internet hosting the controversy. Information 8 political reporter Rick Albin moderated, asking the candidates concerning the points that have an effect on your life and your loved ones. Information 8 anchor Amber Krycka introduced questions submitted by voters such as you.
Click on to see a abstract of the candidates’ responses on a particular subject: FEMA | Gaza | Financial system | Social Safety, Medicaid and Medicare | EVs | Nuclear energy | Reproductive rights | Immigration
FEMA FUNDING
The Federal Emergency Administration Company has develop into an election speaking level within the wake of Hurricane Helene and with Hurricane Milton barreling towards Florida.
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Requested what Congress ought to do to prioritize FEMA funding, Slotkin mentioned that in her time within the U.S. Home of Representatives, she labored to extend FEMA’s funds.
“We don’t know where the next disaster is going to come from, but it’s the responsibility of the federal government to deal with what we were dealing with here in Michigan, which is true disasters when there’s sort of an act of God that happens here in our state,” Slotkin mentioned, referring to the twister that tore via the Portage space in Might.
Rogers criticized spending on housing for individuals who have entered the nation illegally.
“FEMA’s an important organization, has important work to do. But one of the things that makes no sense in this last six years, if you will, is the fact that FEMA spent almost $700 million on housing illegals,” he mentioned. “If we’re going to get spending under control in Washington, D.C., the last thing we need to be doing is spending money on illegal immigrants.”
FEMA says on its web site that “no money is being diverted from disaster response needs,” and defined such cash comes from a particular Catastrophe Aid Fund.
Slotkin agreed there was work to do on the southern border however mentioned FEMA ought to have the funding it must be prepared to deal with crises as they occur. Pressed, Rogers didn’t reply outright whether or not or he would applicable more cash for FEMA, as an alternative saying, “We have to get it right.”
THE MIDDLE EAST
As Israel’s navy motion in Gaza continues a yr after Hamas attacked, Rogers mentioned he helps backing Israel and framing a cease-fire primarily based on the discharge of hostages taken by Hamas final yr. Requested whether or not there was a “red line” that Israel may cross to result in the lack of his help, Rogers mentioned “Hypotheticals don’t work in this.”
Slotkin agreed a cease-fire ought to embody the discharge of hostages and that Israel has a proper to defend itself, however acknowledged the issue of the lack of life amongst Palestinian civilians. Concerning a “red line,” she mentioned the U.S. shouldn’t “be sucked into” one other land struggle within the Center East.
Requested if a cease-fire was attainable if Hamas or Hezbollah remained in energy, Slotkin mentioned a cease-fire should come at some extent the place Hamas couldn’t “project violence” onto Israel. Rogers mentioned he thought it may occur if hostages held by Hamas — labeled by the U.S. as a terrorist group — had been launched.
THE ECONOMY AND HOUSING
The financial system is prime of thoughts for a lot of in Michigan: An Emerson School Polling survey launched in mid-September confirmed extra folks ranked it their prime concern than some other subject. Final month, Information 8 spoke to individuals who mentioned they had been feeling the burden of paying extra for meals, vitality and insurance coverage, amongst different issues. Inflation has been excessive because the COVID-19 pandemic, however has lately been displaying indicators of cooling.
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Requested what they might do to deliver down costs, Rogers mentioned he has “never seen such hurt in people’s families as I have now.” He blamed Democrats for presidency spending that he says raised the price of groceries and gasoline.
“Here’s the things that I would do: We have to absolutely become energy independent,” he mentioned. “I’m for an all-of-the-above policy, but if we don’t get gas prices down, we won’t get food prices down. … Regulation has to stop. $1.6 trillion in new regulation coming out of Washington, D.C. And lastly, spending. We have got to get our arms around spending.”
Slotkin additionally listed three objects:
“No. 1 is bringing supply chains back home from places like China,” she mentioned. “No. 2, it’s attacking the primary costs that are just burning a hole in people’s pockets: health care, prescription drugs. We finally allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices. You’ve got to bring down costs like housing, child care. No. 3, you’ve got to keep more money in your pocket that you earn. Taxes and tax policy, you’ve got to do things like the earned child tax credit. Give credit to middle class families instead of breaks to the ultrawealthy.”
Requested about how you can make houses extra inexpensive and whether or not tax {dollars} needs to be used to help first-time homebuyers and homebuilders, Slotkin promoted public-private partnerships with assured inexpensive items and workforce housing.
“It’s about increasing the housing stock. We need more houses, we need more production of houses,” she mentioned.
Rogers mentioned the largest cause folks cannot afford houses is excessive rates of interest.
“They can’t make up the difference of what it used to be, about 3% just four years ago, and now you see those housing rates so expensive,” he mentioned.
He once more blamed federal spending for contributing to excessive prices.
“If you want to get to the root of this, we have to stop spending,” he mentioned.
SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICAID AND MEDICARE
Requested what they might do to strengthen Social Safety, Medicaid and Medicare, Rogers mentioned he advocated to guard the Social Safety fund when he was in Congress.
“I argue the things that we can do to bring down costs, we should bring down costs across the board. Medicare transparency is a big, big, big factor here. On Social Security, it’s in trouble. The current plan that we see coming out of Washington, D.C., is let it ride until there’s a 26% cut. We have to get together in a bipartisan way to stop that from happening,” Rogers mentioned.
PHOTOS: US Senate debate hosted by WOOD TV8
Slotkin mentioned entry to well being care is “essential.” She attacked Rogers’ voting historical past on Medicare and Social Safety — accusations Rogers went on to rebut as “deceptive.”
“For me, whether it’s allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices so we actually save something from Medicare, whether it’s changing retirement as we knew it, redefining it as he proposes, we couldn’t be more different on this issue,” Slotkin mentioned.
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND GOTION
Requested about two electrical car battery crops being inbuilt West Michigan — one close to Large Rapids and one in Marshall — Slotkin mentioned she did not care whether or not folks selected to purchase EVs.
“What I do care about is who is going to build the next generation of vehicles. Literally, it’s either going to be us or China. Right now, China is eating our lunch on these types of vehicles. And Michigan has had the experience of missing these trends,” she mentioned. “I just don’t understand of just ceding that ground to China.”
Rogers, who has made opposition to the Chinese language-owned Gotion plant close to Large Rapids one in all his platform points, argued in opposition to permitting Chinese language-owned corporations to be constructing these automobiles domestically.
“Why in God’s green earth we would cede that auto market to the Communist Party of China is beyond me,” he mentioned.
He criticized Biden administration insurance policies selling EVs and promoted hybrids.
“You don’t have to plug it in and you get to keep the autoworkers that are in the state. About a million are reliant on building something, a part or something, for a gasoline engine,” Rogers mentioned.
In rebuttal, Slotkin once more advocated for reinvesting within the home the provision chain, saying reliance on China turned starkly obvious through the pandemic. Rogers famous the electrical grid was not ready to help an EV-majority non-public fleet.
In a phase of the controversy that acquired a little bit chippy, Rogers alleged Slotkin signed a nondisclosure settlement to help the creation of the Gotion plant. Slotkin flatly denied ever signing any NDA with “any Chinese government, Chinese entity, Chinese company at all.”
“I found out about that plant when it was in the paper,” she mentioned of the Gotion plant. “He repeats it. It is a lie.”
She introduced up Rogers’ employment within the non-public sector at AT&T “when they were actively working to get Chinese companies in our (telecommunications).” Rogers mentioned such “aspersions” had been “unfortunate.”
Rogers mentioned permitting Chinese language nationals to work at Chinese language-owned corporations on U.S. soil was a nationwide safety danger. Slotkin mentioned she was working to go laws requiring a nationwide safety vetting of Chinese language corporations once they attempt to purchase U.S. farmland and manufacturing services.
Gotion’s North American management says the corporate has no plot to unfold communism.
NUCLEAR POWER
Requested whether or not she supported using federal {dollars} to again the deliberate restart of the Palisades energy plant in southwestern Michigan, Slotkin mentioned she did, pointing to an growing want for vitality as know-how develops. She referred to as for a diversified and redundant energy grid, with nuclear, pure gasoline, wind and photo voltaic.
Rogers additionally supported the restart, additionally noting the growing demand on the grid. He mentioned nuclear “and small-modular nuclear reactors” — the plan at Palisades — is the way in which to maneuver ahead.
The restart of Palisades continues to be awaiting approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Fee. That call may are available in Might or June of subsequent yr, after which Palisades proprietor Holtec hopes to restart in October. If it occurs, it will be a primary within the U.S.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
In 2022, Michigan voters enshrined reproductive rights within the state structure. Requested whether or not the goverment ought to be capable to intrude within the matter of abortion, Rogers acknowledged that Michigan voters had made it clear what they needed and mentioned he would do nothing in Congress to undo the state’s constitutional modification.
Slotkin mentioned she would vote for a federal invoice to codify the precise to abortion nationwide, which vanished as a nationwide normal when the U.S. Supreme Courtroom overturned Roe v. Wade, and alleged Rogers couldn’t be trusted on this subject.
IMMIGRATION
Requested what they might do to reply to unlawful immigration, Slotkin acknowledged “our immigration system is broken.”
“In my mind, we absolutely need to do more on the southern border,” she mentioned. “To me, if you are not here legally, you should not be here. You should go back to your home country and be removed to your home country.”
She referred to as for extra complete authorized vetted immigration. She mentioned she has labored on the difficulty with a bipartisan method however alleged that was shut down by Republicans who needed to make use of it as a political subject through the election cycle.
Rogers attacked Slotkin’s voting document on immigration, mentioned unlawful immigration prices the federal government billions and blamed a porous border for the rise of fentanyl.
“This has been a catastrophe and we have seen absolutely nothing” from Congress, Rogers mentioned. “I’m going to go back and I will fix and secure the border first thing.”
CLOSING STATEMENTS
Each candidates got an opportunity to summarize their platforms, characterize the race and make a closing attraction as the controversy closed.
“I think at the end of the day, the issue comes down to trust. Who do you trust to actually come and talk to you and then go and fight on your behalf?” Slotkin mentioned. “Let me just make one particular appeal to the Republicans watching today, like my dad. For the Republicans who feel like their party has left them over the last few years, you will always have an open door in my office. You will always have a place at the table.”
“When you look at the problems around this state, families are hurting from the policies that have come out of Washington, D.C., The choice here could not be clearer: Killing jobs or creating jobs. Higher grocery prices, lower grocery prices. … A closed border or a wide open border that brings the problems of the south,” Rogers mentioned. “I would appreciate your vote on Nov. 5. I will have your back come November.”
WHERE THINGS STAND IN THE RACE
Rogers or Slotkin will exchange U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat from Lansing. She is retiring after holding the seat for twenty-four years. Michigan’s different U.S. senator, Gary Peters, additionally a Democrat, is subsequent up for election in 2026. It has been 30 years since a Republican (Stabenow’s predecessor) held a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan.
The result of the Nov. 5 election will contribute to which social gathering controls the Senate — different necessary races are occurring in Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The September Emerson ballot confirmed Slotkin main within the Michigan race, with 47% of these surveyed saying they might vote for her and 42% saying they might vote for Rogers. That’s a five-point distinction, outdoors the ballot’s margin of error of plus or minus 3.2%. Eleven % mentioned they had been undecided.
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The overall election is Nov. 5. Absentee voting is already underway in Michigan. Early in-person voting — now obligatory in Michigan — should begin statewide no later than Oct. 26.
