Michigan's El-Sayed targeted by Republicans in Midterms race: Will the religion card work?

What in the name of political free speech is off-limits? Can you say whatever you want on the campaign trail, no matter how false or racist?

If you’re the president of the United States, apparently yes. When Donald Trump calls Michigan senate candidate Abdul el-Sayed a jihadist, it barely makes news. Does exposing voters to a daily diet of slander and slop work? Does it do lasting damage to our societies?

We’ll ask about El-Sayed vying to become the first-ever Muslim elected to the US senator, his Republican opponent, former Congressman Mike Rogers and whether in a swing state that’s birthplace and still home of the US auto industry whether voters care more about faith and identity or tarifs and inflation.

Speaking of the economy, El-Sayed campaigned as a Democratic Socialist. When he won his primary, pundits predicted a progressive wave within the Democratic Party, but in the closing days of the campaign, he's also had Barack Obama and the moderate wing on display. It’s not just which party wins the Midterms. It’s how far those parties move away from the political center. 

Our guests

• Kethevane GORJESTANI FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor; Former Washington correspondent

• Douglas HEYE Former Communications Director for the Republican National Committee

• Hani BAWARDI Professor of History and Arab American Studies, University of Michigan

• Lauren GIBBONS Senior political reporter, Bridge Michigan