First debate turns personal

Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Republican nominee Mike Rogers, a former U.S.House representative, met for the first televised debate on October eighth in Grand Rapids, Michigan.The hour-long debate on WOOD-TV featured personal attacks throughout.

Rogers attacks El-Sayed's mother

Rogers launched an attack linking El-Sayed's mother to al-Qaida while defending his votes on federal surveillance programs. El-Sayed challenged Rogers to say what he was implying, but Rogers never directly stated it.

Rogers' claim about El-Sayed's mother

Rogers said: "What your mom was working at, I was going after that organization that was indicted for funneling money to al-Qaida."

“What your mom was working at, I was going after that organization that was indicted for funneling money to al-Qaida.”

Mother not charged with crimes

Court documents show Elkomy was involved in wire transfers prosecutors said violated sanctions, but the records do not establish that those funds went to finance terrorism. She was not charged with any crimes.

Rogers cherry-picks donations

Rogers claimed El-Sayed "has taken money from groups associated in support of the Muslim Brotherhood" and from individuals supporting Hamas, Hezbollah and al-Qaida. PolitiFact found Rogers was cherry-picking donations and associations from El-Sayed supporters.

El-Sayed's father-in-law donations

Critics point to El-Sayed's father-in-law, Tayeb Jukaku, who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to a super PAC supporting El-Sayed.

Rogers' physician claim

Rogers said El-Sayed "is not really a doctor" and claimed if he tried to treat a patient he would go to jail.

El-Sayed never practiced medicine

El-Sayed did not attend residency and has never held a medical license in Michigan or New York. After finishing medical school, he withdrew his residency application and pursued a public health career instead.

El-Sayed's wealth claims about Rogers

El-Sayed claimed Rogers became wealthy after leaving office, saying he made "fourteen million, two yachts, a McMansion in Florida."

Rogers' Florida property details

County property records show Rogers and his wife own a home in Cape Coral, Florida with four thousand seven hundred fifty-one square feet, five bedrooms and three point five bathrooms.

Rogers' boats verified

The El-Sayed campaign shared ownership records showing Rogers bought a thirty-two-foot boat in two thousand fifteen and a thirty-nine-foot boat in two thousand seventeen.Both are registered in Maryland.

“I'd never owned a yacht in Florida, brother.”

Rogers and pharmaceutical donations

El-Sayed claimed Rogers took "a million dollars alone from Big Pharma."Rogers backed legislation to broaden chronic pain care backed by opioid manufacturers who donated to his campaign.

Rogers called himself champion

Rogers did use the word champion in a specific context. In two thousand sixteen, he said of opioid manufacturers: "I think they said, 'This guy is a champion, he's doing something we believe in and…

“I think they said, 'This guy is a champion, he's doing something we believe in and we want to support guys like that.'”

Rogers' Iran war position shifted

El-Sayed claimed Rogers "cheerled" the Iran war "since the beginning" and called it a "win, win, win."

“the best opportunity for peace in the Middle East I think I've ever seen in my lifetime.”

Rogers reversed on Iran war

In May, Rogers said stopping Iran from having a nuclear weapon would be a "win, win, win" but wanted the war over soon.

“The war with Iran needs to end, and end quickly.”