As former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris ramp up their campaigns with less than a month until Election Day, candidates in key Senate races have been battling it out on the debate stage.
The contests in Arizona and Michigan are set to play a key role in which party takes control of the Senate.
Democrats currently hold a narrow majority in the United States Senate and 34 out of 100 Senate seats are up for election on Nov. 5.
Arizona Senate Race
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and his Republican rival, Kari Lake, are competing for the seat of retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). Her exit from the race left the seat open for Democrats to defend in a key presidential battleground. Trump and Harris are polling neck and neck in Arizona, according to a new AARP poll.
Gallego and Lake faced off on Wednesday in their only debate in the highly contested race. According to Cook Political Report, the senate contest in Arizona “leans Democrat” but is considered competitive.
While the pair traded barbs on numerous hot-button topics, the southern border quickly became a point of contention, taking up the first half of the hourlong debate.
Lake, who has been endorsed by Trump, is closely aligned with the former president on the issue.
“We need somebody who understands the threat on the border, and I do, and President Trump does, and on Day 1, we’re going to get busy undoing the damage caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden and Ruben Gallego, who’s voted with them 100 percent of the time,” Lake said.
Gallego defended his stance on immigration and touted his efforts to tackle the issue while claiming that Lake supported the deportation of “Dreamers”—illegal immigrants who were brought into the United States when they were minors.
According to the latest poll by FiveThirtyEight, Gallego is leading Lake by nearly 8 points, 50 to 43 percent.
Michigan Senate Race
On Tuesday night, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers faced off during their first debate in the competitive Senate race in the battleground state of Michigan. The candidates are competing to replace retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).
Slotkin has been endorsed by Stabenow, while Rogers has Trump’s backing.
The matchup is rated a “toss up,” according to Cook Political Report.
Slotkin and Rogers sparred over abortion, illegal immigration, and foreign policy, but manufacturing was a major topic of the debate as expected since Michigan is the center of the automotive industry. The state is home to major car manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors.
Slotkin and Rogers clashed on the topic of communist China’s influence over the electric vehicle industry.
Slotkin described Rogers as weak on China and cited his opposing the construction of two EV plants in the state.
“It’s either going to be us or China,” Slotkin said. “Right now, China is eating our lunch on these types of vehicles.”
But Rogers countered that a large portion of the parts needed to make electric vehicles are made in China and offered the solution of remaining competitive in the market.
“You beat China by selling Americans cars they want to buy,” Rogers said.
Rogers also said that Slotkin signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) regarding a proposed deal for a Chinese company to build a battery parts manufacturing plant in that state that he claims has ties to the Communist party.
While Slotkin dismissed the claims, Rogers argued that anyone can see the signed NDA online.
According to the latest FiveThirtyEight poll, Slotkin holds a five-point lead over Rogers, 49 to 44 percent.
In a Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday, Trump leads Harris by three points in Michigan, 50 to 47 percent.