CNN's first reactions to key Senate debates in MI, KS

Michigan and Kansas held some of the final major Senate debates of the 2026 midterm elections on Wednesday night. And they were a study in contrasts.

The Michigan Senate debate between Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers was bitterly personal and ferociously contested — as befits a contest that could decide the chamber’s majority.

The debate in Kansas was a little more genial, with less focus on Trump and plenty of focus on whether Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton would be too allied with the political left — from which he repeatedly sought to distance himself — to unseat GOP Sen. Roger Marshall.

CNN's Laura Coates and Audie Cornish lead panel discussions about the high-stakes debates as the midterm campaigns enter their final two weeks.

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