El-Sayed on Rogers avoiding debate: 'The elephant was not in the room'

Abdul El-Sayed walked onto a debate stage in Michigan and found an empty podium, so he did what candidates do when the cameras are rolling: he tried to turn it into a moment. The “elephant” line was cute, the “cowarded out” jab was supposed to sting, and you can practically hear the consultants high-fiving. But watching Democrats crow about a no-show debate is a little rich after years of dodging tough questions in friendlier settings and then calling it “protecting democracy.”

Let’s also not pretend voters are crying out for more staged zingers. If Rogers skipped, people deserve an actual reason, not theater. Was it scheduling, rules, the sponsor, the format, security, a strategic choice? Say it plainly. And if El-Sayed wants to make absence the story, fine, but then he should also use the time to show he’s got something sturdier than wordplay to offer a state dealing with inflation, crime, fentanyl, and a border mess that reaches Michigan faster than Washington admits.

Still, Republicans shouldn’t hand the other side a clean talking point. Debates are part of the job, not optional content. If Mike Rogers wants to represent Michigan in the Senate, he’s going to face hostile rooms and bad-faith questions anyway. Better to take the swings now, on home turf, and show voters he can handle it. When we complain that Democrats hide behind scripts and media filters, we ought to hold our own candidates to a higher standard than “they’ll vote for us regardless.”

And Democrats might want to take a breath before they act like a missing opponent is some great moral victory. A one-liner isn’t a plan for Michigan. If El-Sayed wants to win persuadable voters, he can start by explaining how his agenda makes life cheaper and safer, not just how quickly he can coin a nickname. The empty podium is a headline for a night. The Senate is six years.