Republican Senate hopeful Mike Rogers unloaded on Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed during Thursday’s Michigan Senate debate, calling him a “con man” for presenting himself as a doctor despite lacking a medical license.

Rogers argued that El-Sayed leaves voters with the impression that he practiced medicine, even though his experience treating patients apparently did not extend beyond an internship. The Republican repeatedly challenged his opponent’s use of the titles doctor and physician.

Rogers scoffed at those credentials during the debate, declaring, “Well, he’s not really a doctor. He says he’s a physician.” He then raised the legal consequences El-Sayed could face if he attempted to treat a patient without a license.

“[As a] matter of fact, if somebody came into his office and he tried to treat that patient, he’d go to jail,” Rogers said.

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His attack put El-Sayed’s professional claims at the center of their first debate confrontation.

Rogers did not stop with the licensing issue. He accused the Democrat of selling voters a carefully crafted image that does not match his actual professional record.

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“Listen to this guy and what he’s trying to sell here today,” Rogers said. “You’re going to find out that this guy is not what he says he is. He is actually selling the best con I think I’ve ever seen.”

El-Sayed responded by pointing to his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The former public health official also attended the University of Michigan Medical School.

He did not earn medical licenses allowing him to practice in Michigan or New York, according to Politico. The only cited evidence of experience treating patients was a four-week internship at a Manhattan hospital.

That did not stop El-Sayed from introducing himself as a doctor while making his case to Michigan voters. He used the title while discussing the financial pressure associated with everyday expenses.

“Look, I’m a doctor, and I’m a dad,” El-Sayed said. “And as a dad, I know how much it costs me to fill up my gas tank. It is insane.”

El-Sayed has regularly invoked his medical education when discussing health care policy. He previously served as a professor of epidemiology at Columbia, executive director of the Detroit Health Department and director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services.

Questions about his use of the doctor and physician labels surfaced during the Democratic primary contest. El-Sayed currently describes himself as a “physician” and an “epidemiologist” on his LinkedIn profile despite lacking a medical license.

Abdul El-Sayed Needed Babysitters When He Was Health Director Because he isn't a real doctor, Detroit and Wayne County both had to hire actual doctors to make health decisions

By Charlie LeDuff @Charlieleduff Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is not a doctor. That’s not me saying that, it’s the State of Michigan. Even so, El-Sayed got paid like a doctor, pretended to be a doctor, and broke state law doing so. As executive director of the Detroit Health Department and then of the Wayne County Health Department, El-Sayed was prohibited from making medical decisions because he was not and is not a licensed to practice medicine in Michigan (or anywhere else for that matter.) The state allows non-doctors like El-Sayed to be the chief bureaucrat of a local health department, but only if there is a chief medical officer to make actual health decisions. And so, El-Sayed in his short tenures in both Detroit and Wayne County was babysat by two qualified female physicians, and at least one was paid much less than El-Sayed. (Normally the actual doctor earns approximately 30% more than the bureaucrat.) So while El-Sayed plays physician in campaign commercials, the women were doing the actual work. As it happens, El-Sayed was not even qualified to be chief bureaucrat. Again, according to state law, the director of a health department must have an advanced degree in medicine or public health AND at least three years experience in health administration. El-Sayed did not have the required admin experience, but this is Wayne County, where the law is optional for machine hacks like “Dr.” Phoney El-Baloney. Under El-Sayed, the chief medical officer for Detroit in 2016 was Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. El-Sayed went on to run for governor and lost. He then became a TV doctor for CNN as a Covid expert and got almost everything wrong. Dr. Khaldun went on to become the chief medical executive for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer—and, like El-Sayed, she got almost everything wrong about Covid, including school closings and commingling infected people in the state’s nursing homes. El-Sayed resurfaced in 2023 in Wayne County. Still, he had no certification. No residency. No patients. Insufficient medical experience to satisfy state law. Minor details in the Wayne County Machine. El-Sayed got the job, but still couldn’t make medical decisions or supply health care for 150 children locked in the juvenile jail. Still, he was paid an eye-popping $279,000 a year by the time he left to run for Senate last year. (A few days following his announcement, the county machine granted him a $72,000 “consulting contract.”) As El-Sayed played doctor, the actual chief medical officer, Dr. Avani Sheth, was paid $235,000, or nearly 20% less than El-Sayed. Interestingly, El-Sayed’s successor as executive director of the county health department is paid $180,000—a $99,000 pay cut for the position. El-Sayed claims on his social media posts to despise financial misogyny. But El-Sayed doesn’t seem to mind it when it’s posted to his bank ledger. What to call him? Fake doctor? Paper doctor? Unlicensed physician? Call El-Sayed whatever you want, just know he can’t make house calls. — Michigan Enjoyer (@mich_enjoyer) October 7, 2026

El-Sayed has also claimed on his podcast, “I’ve been a doctor my whole career.” At another point this year, he told a group of nurses that he had “been in enough codes to watch who really does the work.”

During the debate, El-Sayed again brushed past Rogers’ criticism by emphasizing his degree and redirecting the discussion toward health care access and President Trump. He argued that the central issue was whether voters could see their doctors and trust their next US senator.

“Look, I have a medical degree from Columbia University,” El-Sayed said during the debate. “He can take it up with them. But it’s not really about me. It’s about whether or not you can see your doctor. It’s about whether or not you trust your next US senator to stand up to Trump and Trumpism.”

El-Sayed's first debate with Rogers gets so heated that moderator intervenes

Mike Rogers: “The doctor isn't really a doctor.” Dr.Abdul El-Sayed: “I have a medical degree from Columbia University. If he has issues with my credentials, take it up with them. But it's not about me. It's about whether YOU can see your doctor.” https://t.co/s5ZyxizTen — Anoma (@Ferm0s) October 9, 2026

El-Sayed’s campaign includes support for a “Medicare for All” single-payer system, and he has leaned on his medical degree while promoting the proposal. Rogers attacked the plan as costly and said it would strip Michiganders of private insurance, which El-Sayed denied.

Thursday was the first debate stage meeting between Rogers and El-Sayed. The encounter quickly turned into a barrage of personal attacks as both candidates packed insults into their responses to the moderator’s questions.

The broader contest remains tight. The latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate gives El-Sayed a 3.2 percentage point advantage over Rogers, leaving the Michigan Senate race looking like a jump ball as the candidates sharpen their attacks.

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