GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — On the debate stage, a only few feet separated Mike Rogers and Abdul El-Sayed, though their differences made the gap seem great.
On Wednesday, the Republican and Democratic candidates for Michigan's open Senate seat laid out their respective visions for the state, looking to convince voters of their worthiness to serve in the nation's capital.
"I got into this race because Michigan is in trouble," Rogers said in his opening statement.
"I am running because it shouldn't be this hard," El-Sayed said. "Shouldn't be this hard to afford a second bag of groceries. Shouldn't be this hard to pay your rent or your mortgage. Shouldn't be this hard to fill up your tank."
The two addressed a variety of issues, including affordability, tariffs, war and conflict in the Middle East, immigration, healthcare and more.
WATCH: Full U.S. Senate Debate in Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers
"The winner was the people," Doug Koopman said. "It was a far better debate. It was a far better interaction between the two than I've seen in any other context."
A professor emeritus in Calvin University's politics and economics department, Koopman said the debate was more reserved and down the middle, with both Rogers and El-Sayed looking to court voters who were still undecided in the critical race.
"Every Senate seat is important, and Michigan is very important in that context," he said. "It could be the difference between which party is in the majority in the Senate."
Where El-Sayed talked about the cost of living and depicted his opponent as a "sock puppet" for the president, Koopman said Rogers worked to define himself as a Michigan-first man running against a "danger" to the country.
"I do think the Rogers campaign feels pretty good today," he said. "I do think they got their positive message of independence from Trump across, and they also repeated their description of their opponent frequently, and I think pretty clearly."
A debate with more structure and less off-script exchanges between the two candidates served to benefit the former congressman, Koopman said, comparing their two speaking styles to the game of football.
"El-Sayed is a terrific broken field runner," he said. "He likes a little bit of chaos because he feels he can maneuver around that quickly, and he's very good with words."
"Rogers likes a little bit more of a plan and to carry out the plays."
Whether it's the Republican or the Democratic candidate who is elected, Koopman said they'll have to work for Michigan, but also with the country's other lawmakers in the Senate.
"I think here is this sense of who seems persuasive," he said. "Who can get along?"
