Michigan votes: El-Sayed wants a 'decisive outcome' as Rogers calls race 'vigorous'

Michigan voters are casting ballots in the state's midterm elections, and both candidates made their feelings known while the polls were still open. Progressive Abdul El-Sayed said he was hoping for a quote, and Republican Mike Rogers summed up his run with a single word of his own.

El-Sayed, the progressive in the race, told reporters he wanted a decisive outcome, per the AP. Rogers, the Republican, described his campaign as vigorous. Both remarks came as voting was already in progress.

The two men offered the comments publicly rather than waiting for results, a sign both camps are watching turnout closely as the day unfolds. The AP reported the remarks as voting got underway.

Michigan has long been one of the states that draws outsized national attention, and this cycle is no different. What the candidates say now, before any numbers land, is often as much about firing up their own side as anything else.

The next signal comes when ballots are counted. Until then, the race stays where it is: in the hands of Michigan voters, with both candidates talking a confident game.