Democratic congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and former Republican congressman Mike Rogers debated issues including education, immigration, abortion and electric vehicles. It was the final scheduled U.S. Senate debate of the election season.
Dennis Darnoi, a political consultant, says this election is uniquely focused on the two candidates’ principles instead of their party affiliations with President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump.
“Both of them have long records upon which to run, they have reputations within the party and within the state. So, it’s not as if they are new candidates that no one’s ever heard of,” Darnoi said.
Dennis Darnoi is a political consultant for Densar Consulting.
Zoe Clark is the political director at Michigan Public.
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Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin faced off tonight against former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers in Michigan’s final scheduled U.S. Senate debate of the election season.
During the hour-long debate held at the WXYZ-TV studios in Southfield, the candidates were asked about the economy, immigration and the cost of health care.
Gun control was a big difference between the candidates. Slotkin said she supports tougher federal gun laws.
“To me, we have to, as Democrats and Republicans, as gun owners and non-gun owners, go after the No.1 killer of our children in our communities and in our schools, by suicide and by accident, and it is the responsibility of our leaders to protect children,” she said.
Rogers said he does not want new gun laws and instead supports better enforcement of existing gun laws and improved mental health services for children.
“We need to enforce the gun laws that we have. We also need to deal with mental health issues that are happening in our schools,” he said. “This generation of Americans is under mental duress and distress like I have never seen before.”
The candidates were also asked about their stances on abortion.
Slotkin said she would support setting in law the standard that existed before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that ended federal protections of abortion rights.
“If codifying Roe v. Wade came before the U.S. Senate, I would vote for it,” Slotkin said.
Rogers, who has a long record of supporting abortion restrictions, said he would not go against the wishes of voters who adopted a state reproductive rights amendment in 2022.
“I will respect the vote of the people of Michigan that they put as part of the Michigan Constitution,” Rogers said.
On student loan debt, the candidates agreed that a national service program might be an option for dealing with the increasing burden of educational costs and interest on loans. Slotkin also endorsed a 2.5% interest rate cap on student loans.
Absentee voting is already underway in Michigan so this debate could be the closing argument for many voters. Election Day is Nov. 5.
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U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell is running for reelection in Michigan’s 6th Congressional District.
The Democratic incumbent currently serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and House Committee on Natural Resources, and formerly served as a U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 12th Congressional District from 2015-2023. Prior to that, she worked in the auto industry for three decades, and served on the Wayne State University Board of Governors from 2007-2014.
Dingell says as someone who’s been in politics for nearly a decade, she wants to continue bringing diverse perspectives to the table to get things done.
“I want to be out there and listening and hearing what’s on your mind and making sure that your voices are heard,” she said. “I believe in the importance of building coalitions and trying to find the common ground at that table, and I also believe in solving problems.”
Listen: U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell on the economy, gun control and election security
Her Republican challenger, retired Ford employee Heather Smiley, says she hopes to bring a fresh perspective to Congress by curbing government spending, protecting voter integrity and preserving the borders.
“I’m not happy with the direction that the country is heading in,” Smiley said. “Our civil rights have been infringed upon. The economy is not doing well, and our national sovereignty is really at risk.”
Smiley says she is a first-generation American from a legal immigrant who was the first to attend college in her family. She says she worked multiple jobs and took out loans to pay for college, including working as a press operator and an automotive parts supplier.
“I can enable the government to function more efficiently, to improve and reduce costs, and I can restore the opportunities that we’ve historically had so that people can truly live the American dream, rather than worry about how they’re going to pay their bills or put food on the table for their family,” she said.
Listen: Republican Heather Smiley on bringing jobs to Michigan, voter integrity
Jobs and the economy
Dingell says the No. 1 issue on people’s minds is the economy, adding that she’s working with Congress to bring down everyday costs for working families.
“People are struggling to make ends meet,” she said. “I’m always at Kroger on Sunday mornings, and people come to meet me there now and they say, ‘Look at my grocery cart. I used to be able to buy a lot more.'”
Smiley says lots of people are losing their jobs, and she wants to prioritize bringing jobs back to Michigan.
“The companies are not willing to invest in their businesses, quite frankly, because a lot of the work is going overseas,” she said. “Mexico now looks like what Michigan used to look like. It’s a mecca for industry, both in terms of the automotive industry [and] all of the suppliers.”
However, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that U.S. employers added an estimated 254,000 jobs in September, and after rising for most of 2024, the unemployment rate dropped for a second straight month from 4.2% in August to 4.1% in September.
She also noted that government spending is on the rise, saying that she’d like to reduce spending using her skills as a Ford employee who managed budgets.
“At Ford Motor Company where I worked, just one example of a project that I initiated and led, I saved the company over $290 million, and year-over-year, I saved the company $10 million just by working smarter,” she said.
Smiley says her experience as someone who has worked her way from the bottom up makes her a better candidate for her district.
“I have a lifetime of experiences working in the proverbial trenches, and I can leverage and apply my common sense and direct knowledge of how things work, both domestically and using my international business experience,” she said.
“I think we need to support and make sure [gun legislation] is being implemented that has comprehensive background checks. People who shouldn’t have guns shouldn’t have access to them,” said Dingell.
Dingell says assault weapons should also be banned, and safe storage of firearms should be mandated.
“Our children need to be able to go to school and not worry if someone is going to shoot them, what would happen to them. We need to be addressing the mental health issues associated with that,” she said.
Dingell says along with the economy, child care and senior care are pressing issues.
Voter integrity
During her campaign, Smiley has alleged that voter integrity in the U.S. is being jeopardized by illegal immigrants who are being encouraged to sign up to vote.
“The penalties are high, and the payoff is low,” Rick Hasen, an election law expert at the UCLA School of Law, told CNN. “If you aren’t a citizen and you vote, and you’re caught, you can face deportation and criminal penalties. And your chances of affecting an election outcome are small. It’s very unlikely someone would purposely choose to vote as a noncitizen.”
While Dingell says comprehensive immigration is needed, she says numerous studies have debunked the claim that non-citizens are voting.
“We have very strong systems in this country, in each state, to keep non-American citizens from voting, and no one has found [evidence of that],” she said. “[There have been] independent studies on both sides [that show no] problem related to that,” she said.
Dingell also suggested that measures to address border security have been blocked by Republicans.
“Democrats have been pushing for a lot more investment in Homeland Security for hiring additional border patrol agents to investigate and disrupt the transnational criminal organizations and the drug traffickers and Republicans keep blocking it,” she said.
The general election is taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. For the latest election information, visit WDET’s Voter Guide at wdet.org/voterguide.
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
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