El-Sayed and Rogers toss insults in Michigan Senate debate

Reported by CBS News. The paragraphs below are the opening of that article, reproduced word for word — not a summary, and not the whole piece.

In Thursday's Michigan Senate debate, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed called his opponent "weak," "cowardly" and a "sock puppet for the Trump administration." Republican Mike Rogers called his opponent a "glitchy AI chatbot" who is running a "con" and will "say anything to win."

The two candidates in one of the country's most closely watched midterm contests spent the hourlong debate sparring over the Iran war , the trade war with Canada, immigration, healthcare policy and cost-of-living issues. They also tossed insults across the stage in nearly every exchange, accusing each other of flip-flopping and financial entanglements.

After the only commercial break, debate moderator Rick Albin of WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids said the two men were arguing even when they were off-air. At various points, Albin pleaded with the candidates to "work with me" and said: "I appreciate your passion, but please, let's try to keep this orderly."

El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination after a bitter primary in which the former health official clashed with the party's moderate wing over his support for single-payer healthcare and his opposition to U.S. military aid for Israel. A former congressman, Rogers won the GOP nomination with little competition after an endorsement from President Trump, whose rocky approval ratings have posed a vulnerability for his party's midterm candidates.

Most polls show a razor-thin race between the two candidates, who are competing to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The race could be pivotal in determining which party wins control of the Senate.

During the debate, both candidates called for pausing the gas tax as the conflict in the Middle East keeps energy prices high, and questioned the tit-for-tat tariff war with Canada.