Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed exchanged personal accusations during their first televised Michigan Senate debate Thursday, highlighting the increasingly contentious contest for a seat considered crucial to determining control of the US Senate in November.
The hour-long confrontation featured repeated interruptions, with arguments continuing through a commercial break.
Rogers repeatedly questioned El-Sayed's associations, accusing his campaign of accepting contributions from individuals sympathetic to militant organisations and suggesting possible family connections to terrorism watch lists.
El-Sayed challenged the insinuations, accusing Rogers of targeting his Muslim identity.
The candidates also disputed El-Sayed's response to a March synagogue attack in Michigan, with Rogers questioning whether his opponent had condemned the incident.
El-Sayed insisted he had.
El-Sayed portrayed Rogers as a wealthy former congressman disconnected from ordinary voters, while Rogers questioned his opponent's political judgment.
The contest follows El-Sayed's narrow Democratic primary victory over Representative Haley Stevens and Rogers' uncontested Republican nomination.
They are competing to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters in the November 3 election.
Both candidates supported ending the US-Israeli war against Iran but disagreed sharply over its justification and Washington's relationship with Israel.
El-Sayed blamed the conflict for rising gasoline prices and inflation, arguing that military action had contributed to Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Rogers defended the war's impact on Iran's nuclear programme while calling for its conclusion.
El-Sayed advocated ending US aid to Israel and prioritising domestic spending, while Rogers defended continued assistance.
On immigration, Rogers criticised confrontational enforcement operations in Minnesota while supporting efforts to deport dangerous criminals.
El-Sayed reiterated his opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Both candidates also criticised aspects of President Donald Trump's trade dispute with Canada.
Rogers called for negotiations to end the tariff confrontation, while El-Sayed linked his opponent to economic policies he argued had harmed American manufacturing.
The exchanges underscored the stakes of Michigan's closely contested Senate election.