Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for Senate in Michigan, leaned heavily into the memory of the attacks against the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, as he criticized his Democratic opponent for his ties to Hasan Piker, the controversial left-wing streamer.

"I never imagined that 25 years after 9/11, I would be running against somebody that campaigns with Hasan Piker, who thinks America deserved it," Rogers said in his speech to the Republican convention in Dallas on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the attacks. "Abdul El-Sayed has chosen Hasan as his running mate. Together, they attack America. They excuse extremism. They treat our country like it's the villain." Since his August primary win, El-Sayed has sought to distance himself from Piker, who has said "America deserved 9/11." El-Sayed has said that the remark from Piker was "dumb."