Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers, the two candidates vying for a US Senate seat in Michigan, have traded bitter personal attacks during a hostile debate over Iran, Israel and the economy.
Their first televised exchange late on Thursday was marked by acrimonious jibes and fundamental disagreements, with tensions spilling over into the commercial break.
“I want to take a quick aside and tell you that in 30 years of doing debates, I've never seen it continue during the commercial,” said Rick Albin, the debate's moderator. “But it did.”
The heated debate comes during a tight race in the swing state, with less than four weeks until the midterm elections. Michigan is home to about 300,000 Arab Americans, and President Donald Trump has won there twice.
The November 3 elections will determine who controls Congress, and Michigan is among the most closely watched Senate races. If Mr El-Sayed, a Democrat, wins, he would become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. Mr Rogers, a Republican, is an ally of Mr Trump.
“Under this guy who's going to rubber stamp everything Donald Trump tells him to rubber stamp, you're going to continue to pay way more out the nose because he works for corporations and Donald Trump,” Mr El-Sayed said.
Recent polling suggests voters are mainly concerned about the economy and the rising cost of living, with a majority blaming the President for his handling of the issues. His approval rating has sunk to the low 30s.
Mr Trump has said the war would end after the midterms and that fuel costs – which rose after Iran put a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz – would go down shortly after.
But the war has been particularly unpopular among voters, and the Trump-endorsed Mr Rogers has run an advertisement saying: “The war with Iran needs to end – and end quickly.”
'Go ahead and say it'
Mr Rogers questioned his opponent's credentials, calling Mr El-Sayed a “con man” and accusing him of having ties to armed groups in the Middle East.
“He can't condemn Hamas. He can't condemn the Muslim Brotherhood. He says his home is Egypt,” he said.
Mr Rogers later suggested that concerns about surveillance could be personal for Mr El Sayed because he or someone in his family might be suspected of terrorism.
“Go ahead and say it,” Mr El-Sayed interjected. “You've been tiptoeing around it the whole time.”
The candidates also traded accusations over their wealth and property. Mr El-Sayed accused Mr Rogers of owning a home in Florida and two yachts. Mr Rogers countered that Mr El-Sayed's wife owned a home in the UAE and might own one in Egypt. They actually own two rental properties overseas – one in Bangalore and the other in Dubai, but not in Egypt.
Although the moderator at times struggled to keep the debate focused on policy, the candidates also clashed over their positions on the Middle East.
Asked whether any action by Israel would lead him to withdraw support for US military assistance, Mr Rogers said: “I support just as staunchly their right to exist, the right to exist for the Jewish state, and the right to defend itself in a very difficult neighbourhood.”
Pressed on what might change his position, he said that if Israel were to talk about using nuclear weapons, he would shift stance.
Mr El Sayed also faced repeated questions about which country posed a greater threat to the US, Israel or Iran. He called it a “ridiculous hypothetical”.
“Our ostensible ally in Israel has lobbied us to go to war with Iran,” he said. “We have watched as Iran has responded by bombing all kinds of countries in the Middle East and then choking off the world’s energy supply. So, this is a situation in which I don’t think we should be a part.”
When pressed for an answer, he said: “I think both of them have proven dangerous in their own way. One at risk of attacking us. One getting us into wars we have no business fighting.”
Highlighting the Islamophobia that Mr El Sayed has been subjected to throughout his campaign, after the debate, Mr Trump attacked Mr El-Sayed in a racist social media post, calling him a “Jihadist lunatic” and referring to him as “Mohammed”.
“Mohammed is a Jihadist lunatic who hates our country, the Black People of Detroit, and wants to see the US fail,” he wrote.
The candidates are scheduled to meet for a second and final debate on October 21 in Detroit.
