(Source: MIRS.news, Published 10/14/2024) Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers worked hard to associate U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly)'s voting record with the Biden-Harris administration, while Slotkin hammered Rogers for his record on drug prices in the second and final U.S. Senate debate Tuesday night.

Compared to last week's debate, the two candidates appeared more hurried in their answers, which led to Slotkin speaking rapidly and Rogers bumping up against his time limits several times.

Rogers used the night's first question on the economy to connect Slotkin with the high inflation rates of COVID. He went back to the well on that perceived connection again and again during the hour-long debate on WXYZ-7 in Detroit.

"We know that the trillions and trillions of dollars of spending by the Biden-Harris administration, 100 percent supported by my opponent, has driven up grocery prices, gas prices, energy prices, your housing prices, have all gone up," Rogers said. 

The theme of increased prices continued across questions of student loan forgiveness, climate change, prescription drug affordability and Social Security's stability. 

"If you are worried about your grocery prices, if you are worried about your job being here from heavy EV mandates my opponent supported, if you are worried about what the next generation of jobs and housing costs are for your family. Then I ask for your vote," Rogers said in his closing statement.

Then, on healthcare and prescription drug affordability, Slotkin started out with her anecdote of her mother suffering through ovarian cancer without health insurance before passing away in 2011.

"The same week we're finding out about her diagnosis is the same week in the same month that we're filling out the paperwork for her to declare bankruptcy," she said.

When describing legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, she equated the concept to warehouse stores like Costco where buying in bulk lowers the per unit price. Then, she drove the point home that Rogers hadn't supported this legislation in the past. 

"The idea that someone who voted against Medicare negotiating somehow, somehow, now is the champion of it - I got a bridge I want to sell you, if you think this guy's going to protect you," Slotkin said.

A point of agreement was reached when candidates were asked their stance on student loan forgiveness. This was another moment in which Rogers brought up the economy, stating that increasing prices need to be addressed so that borrowers can afford their loan payments.

The two agreed that how loans are forgiven is important. Rogers said he doesn't support the American taxpayer funding the forgiveness without the borrower giving back in some form of service. He suggested military service or becoming a school counselor to work off the debt.

Slotkin stated that she supports a 2.5 percent cap on student loan interest rates and agreed that a program should exist in Michigan that would allow a borrower to serve in an understaffed or essential service for reduced or free tuition, as long as they sign a commitment to stay in Michigan and work in that career field.

Slotkin corrected the moderator when it was suggested that Slotkin is for student loan forgiveness.

Perhaps illuminating once again how much money is going into this race, X posts from each candidate were uploaded to the site around the exact issue the candidates were discussing at that moment for almost every question. That type of social media skill isn't cheap, folks.