Michigan Senate Candidates Battle Over 9/11 Records
Wertynews.com – Michigan Senate candidates battle over their records as the nation marks 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks. Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers are arguing over congressional votes, past statements and how each candidate has addressed the consequences of 9/11.
El-Sayed discussed the anniversary at a town hall with college students, many of whom were born after the 2001 attacks. After observing a moment of silence, he criticized Rogers’ voting record involving federal assistance for people affected by the attacks.
Dispute Over Aid for Survivors and First Responders
Rogers served in the U.S. House from 2001 through 2015 and supported financial assistance for victims shortly after Sept. 11. El-Sayed, however, has focused on Rogers’ opposition to the 2010 James Zadroga Act, which established medical and financial support for survivors and first responders exposed to toxic conditions linked to the attacks.
“Rather than vote to make sure that the brave first responders who ran into the rubble that day to save lives, rather to make sure that they had healthcare, he voted not once but twice against giving them healthcare,”
El-Sayed said at the Friday town hall. The Zadroga Act followed years of advocacy from first responders, survivors and families of people killed in the attacks.
Rogers has said that he supported a different approach to funding the program. At the time, he argued the legislation could put the country’s finances at risk and backed an annual $150 million appropriation for 9/11 survivors and victims’ families.
“The insinuation that I do not support the victims or their families is patently false,”
Rogers wrote in a social-media response to El-Sayed’s criticism. The disagreement has given both campaigns a way to question the other candidate’s judgment on an issue with lasting emotional significance.
Republicans Highlight Hasan Piker Connection
Republicans have also targeted El-Sayed over his past association with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker. El-Sayed appeared with Piker during the Democratic primary but later distanced himself from him. Piker faced broad criticism in 2019 after saying that “America deserved 9/11.”
El-Sayed called the remark “dumb” in August. Piker later said he should have used more precise language.
Groups supporting Rogers have aired at least three ads referring to both the attacks and Piker’s comments. The Senate Leadership Fund, the main political action committee supporting Senate Republicans, has reserved more than $45 million in Michigan advertising for the fall campaign.
Past Remarks Become Campaign Issue
Michigan Senate candidates battle over more than voting records. El-Sayed’s prior comments on the attacks and the military campaigns that followed have also drawn Republican criticism. In 2021, he said that 9/11 scarred the United States profoundly, while the country’s actions afterward scarred millions of other people.
Republicans have argued that the statement puts El-Sayed outside the political mainstream. Vice President JD Vance and Rogers raised related attacks during Republican convention events in Dallas, where Rogers described the election as a contest over the “soul of our country.”
Rogers said El-Sayed would be “searching for excuses” if radical Islamic terrorists threatened Americans. El-Sayed has rejected suggestions that he excuses extremism.
Michigan Senate Race FAQ
Why is 9/11 part of Michigan’s Senate campaign? The anniversary has brought renewed attention to Rogers’ congressional votes, El-Sayed’s past statements and the candidates’ differing views on aid for people affected by the attacks.
What was the James Zadroga Act? The 2010 law created medical and financial support for survivors and first responders who experienced health effects after exposure to debris and toxic conditions connected to the Sept. 11 attacks.
Why does Michigan matter in the Senate fight? Heavy advertising spending reflects the state’s importance in the national contest for control of the U.S. Senate.
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