Candidates for U.S. Senate sought to make the case Monday that they would be the best choice to fight for Michigan families, seeking to paint the other as being out of touch on issues, most notably the economy and gun rights.
The exchanges between U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) and former Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of White Lake came Monday evening during the second of two scheduled U.S. Senate debates, this one held at WXYZ-TV Detroit.
An area in which Slotkin and Rogers differed starkly was on whether additional gun restrictions should be enacted.
Slotkin for her part said yes, stating that gun violence is the top killer of Americans under age 21.
“This idea that we can’t go after the number one killer of children in America is broken,” Slotkin said.
She pointed out that there were two mass shootings in her congressional districts, the Oxford High School shooting and at Michigan State University.
Rogers stressed the need to address the widespread mental health needs of young people.
“We need to enforce the gun laws that we have,” Rogers said. “We also need to deal with mental health issues that are happening in our schools. This generation of Americans is under mental duress and distress like I have never seen before.”
He added that banning guns “isn’t going to do it.”
Slotkin responded by implying inaction by Rogers could be due to having in the past receiving high rankings from the National Rifle Association as well as campaign donations.
“It’s really, really easy to understand why politicians, in the face of murdered children, don’t do anything,” Slotkin said. “They’re scared. They’re scared because they don’t want to lose their election, and it’s terrible.”
Rogers retorted that Slotkin has not introduced significant legislation on the topic while in Congress.
“The way we do it is actually constructive dialogue with these schools, with mental health and with smart precautions that save kids’ lives, not the huffing and puffing that you hear here and name-calling,” Rogers said.
The economy and working to help the middle class came up frequently during the debate.
“I believe in my bones that we need a strong and growing middle class,” Slotkin said.
Rogers said the most important question to answer in races such as the U.S. Senate contest is whether one is better off than they were four years ago.
“The simple answer is absolutely not,” Rogers said.
It was an issue Rogers often used to try and attack Slotkin, accusing her of voting for stimulus funding and policies Democrats pushed under President Joe Biden that he said have prompted huge spikes in inflation.
“Voting for increased taxes on the middle class doesn’t help the middle class,” Rogers said. “Talking about supply chains coming back, but doing nothing about it, doesn’t help the middle class.”
Slotkin shot back that Rogers had “voted against middle class tax cuts over and over and over again … it’s constant.”
“The idea that somehow he cares about the middle class … middle class tax cuts, his voting record says the opposite,” Slotkin said.
Exchanges between the two also became contentious when it came to Social Security and social safety net programs.
Rogers said his relatives and parents have survived on Social Security.
“If we are ever going to solve Social Security, we’re going to have to have a bipartisan commission that actually sits down and goes through the numbers and puts their party politics on the outside and worries about the seniors on the inside,” Rogers said, adding that Slotkin has done nothing while in office.
Slotkin took aim at Rogers, saying he repeatedly voted for privatization of Social Security and raising the retirement age.
“It’s just pure and unadulterated greed,” Slotkin said.
Rogers called her accusations dishonest and shameful.
“People are afraid for their future in this state,” Rogers said. “They can’t afford groceries, their heating bill is up, and they can’t afford it, and you know who gave them all of that? My opponent, in the last five years.”
Slotkin in response repeated her attacks on Rogers over Social Security and to privatize Medicare.
“Just own your record, Mike,” Slotkin said. “You voted these things in our own time, within your own free will. You had a choice.”
After the first debate, Politifact called Slotkin’s claim Rogers voted to raise the Social Security retirement age misleading. While Rogers voted for budget proposals that included a statement of principles about priorities, none included raising the retirement age, the fact-checking outfit run by the The Poynter Institute said.
It was not immediately clear what vote Slotkin was citing on Rogers support for plans to let younger citizens invest their payroll taxes in the stock market instead of paying into the Social Security system. Former President George W. Bush made this idea his top priority in 2005, when Rogers was a third-term member of the U.S. House, but it swiftly became so politically toxic that Republican congressional leaders never brought it up for a vote.
The question of student loan debt forgiveness also came up Monday.
Rogers called it a huge problem for all generations.
“I don’t believe that your neighbor should write you a check for your school debt,” Rogers said.
He suggested being able to work off college debt through either military service or service in a public school, such as counselors or other in-demand positions.
“We should cap student loans at 2.5 percent,” Slotkin said, saying many students have loans with 10 percent or more in interest and they are stuck paying off those loans for most of their lives.
She later clarified to reporters post-debate that she would like to see something more concrete be put in place to address student loan debt rather than providing a set of relief to just one set of people with loan debt.
Candidates’ stances on abortion rights led to an exchange similar to last week’s debate, in which Slotkin hammered Rogers on past votes against abortion rights.
“Mr. Rogers has voted for every bill, every ban, every restriction on abortion that came in front of him for 20 straight years,” Slotkin said. “Now he’s going to come out because he put his finger in the wind. He said that ‘Uh oh, I need to win an election. Better not piss people anybody off.’ … And now he wants to you to believe he’s going to be a protector of women in the U.S. Senate.”
Rogers repeated his stance that he spelled out during the first debate and in a recent advertisement, saying the decision to have an abortion is a very difficult one that women must make for themselves with their families and doctor.
“I know my opponent wants to make this as divisive as possible,” Rogers said. “The state of Michigan went to the polls and voted. … I won’t do anything when I go back to the United States Senate to undo the vote of the people.
Slotkin fired back again that Rogers had cast dozens of votes against abortion rights in Congress.
“I am so sick of people who don’t understand women’s health, who don’t understand reproductive rights, who don’t understand that this is about the rights of our grandchildren having the same rights as their grandmother, saying one thing and doing another,” Slotkin said. “Michiganders, do not believe him. He will not protect you.”
–By Nick Smith
