The Detroit News has endorsed Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan's closely watched Senate race, delivering a sharp rebuke to Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed over his past political rhetoric and his efforts to remove it from public view.
In its endorsement, the newspaper argued that El-Sayed has worked so hard to cover his tracks that it is impossible to know who he really is or where he would stand in the Senate. The editorial board pointed to deleted social media posts that reportedly questioned his attitude about America after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as well as roughly 100 YouTube videos it said paint an unflattering picture of his cultural views.
«A candidate who feels the need to hide his past from voters is not someone who can be trusted to be the same person after Election Day as he was on the campaign trail,» the newspaper wrote.
As he campaigns for the Senate, El-Sayed has removed or archived thousands of past social media posts and older podcast and YouTube videos. Among the past comments cited are a suggestion to abandon July 4th fireworks, a proposal to replace the Second Amendment with a «right to have health care,» and one-time support for the «defund the police» movement. El-Sayed, who was captain of his high school football team, also criticized football's ties to toxic masculinity and a «bro culture.»
The Rogers campaign and other Republicans have repeatedly blasted El-Sayed over those past comments. The El-Sayed campaign said this summer that some of the posts were removed «to prevent any old posts from being taken out of context.» Around the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks last week, the campaign emphasized that «Abdul has always unequivocally condemned terrorism and the September 11 attacks.» Fox News Digital reached out to the El-Sayed campaign for additional comment on the Detroit News' criticisms but did not receive a response at the time the story was published.
The newspaper praised Rogers as «the prototype of a United States Senator,» noting his 14 years in the House of Representatives, where he rose to chair the Intelligence Committee. The 63-year-old Republican left Congress at the end of 2014 after being elected to his House seat seven times by mid-Michigan constituents. He then built a successful career in private industry, becoming an expert in cybersecurity.
The race between El-Sayed and Rogers to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is a must-win battle for Democrats as they try to recapture the Senate majority from the GOP. An average of the latest polls in the showdown indicates a margin-of-error contest. The most recent Fox News poll in Michigan, conducted a month ago, showed Rogers holding a slight four-point edge.
The endorsement adds another layer of scrutiny to a contest that could help determine control of the Senate. With the race tightening and both parties pouring resources into Michigan, the Detroit News' decision to back Rogers — and its pointed criticism of El-Sayed's transparency — is likely to become a central theme in the final stretch of the campaign.