Tucker Carlson stunned Republican allies this month by declaring he would not vote for Mike Rogers, the GOP's Michigan Senate nominee, “at gunpoint,” instead defending Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed's past criticisms of the U.S. war on terror. The remarks, made on a September 3 episode of his show, mark an extraordinary break from party lines in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.
Carlson called Rogers a “tool of Israel and the intel agencies” and described El-Sayed's non-interventionist platform as “literally Trumpian,” according to the Washington Times. As The Independent reports, Carlson went further, declaring Rogers unfit for office altogether and arguing that El-Sayed's willingness to point out post-9/11 foreign policy mistakes is justified rather than disqualifying.
El-Sayed, a 41-year-old epidemiologist who previously served as executive director of the Detroit Health Department from 2015 to 2017 and as Wayne County Health Director from 2023 to 2025, would become the first Muslim member of the U.S. Senate in American history if elected, according to background compiled on Wikipedia. He won Michigan's Democratic primary on August 5, defeating establishment favorite Rep. Haley Stevens despite tens of millions of dollars in outside spending from pro-Israel super PACs including AIPAC, a result PBS News described as a major surge for the Democratic Party's progressive wing.
A Dead-Heat Race for a Pivotal Seat
The seat opening up belongs to retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters, and Michigan Democrats are counting on holding it as they seek a Senate chamber majority. An AARP poll of Michigan voters aged 50 and older, taken August 20, showed El-Sayed and Rogers in a virtual dead heat, and the Cook Political Report rates the contest a toss-up.
Rogers, who served seven terms representing Michigan's 8th District from 2001 to 2015 and chaired the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 2011 to 2015, lost a previous Senate bid in 2024 to Democrat Elissa Slotkin even as Donald Trump carried the state, per background from Ballotpedia. That national-security résumé is precisely what drew Carlson's scorn, and it has left Rogers fending off attacks from multiple directions.
9/11 Voting Record and Florida Residency Under Fire
Congressional records reviewed by Metro Times on September 12 found Rogers voted nine times between 2003 and 2010 against or to restrict federal healthcare funding for 9/11 first responders, including votes against the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Rogers has called accusations about his 9/11 voting record a “lie” in online exchanges with El-Sayed, per the same report.
Rogers has also faced scrutiny over his ties to Michigan after buying a $1.6 million waterfront home in Cape Coral, Florida, in 2022 and keeping a $2.4 million Zillow listing for the property until pulling it off the market on September 6, according to the Michigan Independent. Rogers registered to vote in Oakland County, Michigan, in 2024 while still holding onto the Florida estate, the outlet reported.
Political opponents have also launched Islamophobic attacks surrounding the anniversary of the September 11 attacks against both El-Sayed and New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, according to the Independent. That timing has shaped how both Carlson's remarks and El-Sayed's responses have landed with voters just ahead of the November election.
Vance Pushes Back, El-Sayed Keeps His Distance
Vice President J.D. Vance publicly rejected Carlson's stance the same day, calling El-Sayed “crazy” and “evil” while affirming his support for Rogers, according to The Source Magazine. Vance said the disagreement would not end his personal friendship with Carlson, even as he campaigned directly alongside Rogers in Michigan.
El-Sayed, for his part, has not embraced the alliance. During a September 13 interview on Pod Save America, he said he would not campaign with Carlson, acknowledging that Carlson accurately recognized internal MAGA corruption and Rogers' self-interest while insisting his own progressive platform goals remain distinct. El-Sayed pointed to Rogers' past support for trade deals like NAFTA and TPP to explain why conservative populists have turned on him.
An analysis by Muslim Network TV on September 4 argued that Carlson's praise for El-Sayed reflects a growing ideological crossover, where progressive opposition to U.S. military foreign aid is aligning with populist America First critiques of foreign policy. El-Sayed has campaigned on blocking foreign military aid in favor of domestic investments like healthcare, and as public support for Donald Trump's war in Iran has declined alongside Trump's approval ratings, that message appears to be finding an unexpected audience across the aisle.
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