Rep. Elissa Slotkin announces first-ever congressional support for Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, aiming to solidify support while a competitor with Hollywood credentials is poised to campaign in a contest at which a serious Republican candidate so far is MIA.
Slotkin’s colleague, Rep. Haley Stevens, a Democrat representing part of suburban Detroit, backed her on Wednesday. Stevens refrained from submitting her own Senate nomination in February, but called Slotkin “the best in our state,” saying, “No one is better prepared to take the lead.” Both Slotkin and Stevens stepped in five years ago entered Congress after previously swapping red seats in the Michigan suburbs that helped elect Donald Trump to office in 2016.
Stevens’ high-profile endorsement comes as Hill Harper, an actor known for roles in The Good Doctor and CSI: NY, is eyeing a bid to run for the nomination to succeed outgoing Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow. Harper, a transplant from Michigan, is expected to move into the Democratic primary after the start of a new fundraising cycle in July.
To date, Slotkin is the biggest name entering Michigan’s Senate contest, which is a must for Democrats to retain their narrow control of the upper house in 2024. The party is also defending seats in Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania and West Virginia, but it hopes Michigan — despite its history of close presidential elections in 2016 and 2020 — will gain an easier time given the state’s lack of a bank in the GOP hold is. the growing extremism of the state party and the Democrats’ victory over both houses of the legislature in 2022.
It’s a dramatic turnaround from 2020, when the Republican Senate nominee, the current congressman. John James came within 100,000 votes of the incumbent Democrat Gary Peters.
Stevens and Slotkin both moved into Congress in 2018, swapping the red seats in a critical presidential swap. Michigan voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and for Joe Biden in 2020. Slotkin, a 46-year-old former CIA analyst, represents a House district stretching from Lansing to the outskirts of Detroit and has voted for the Republican presidential nominee in the last three elections. Slotkin’s argument with the Democrats is that she can win over the Republicans and sway voters in a state where both decide elections.
“In 2018, Elissa Slotkin and I replaced the red seats with blue ones,” Stevens said in a statement announcing her support. “I have stood by her through the COVID-19 pandemic, the difficult elections and the violent assault on our democracy. I’ve seen firsthand how deeply she understands the economic needs of our state. She recognizes problems and tackles them head-on.”
Slotkin caused quite a stir in her recent re-election a confirmation by Republican and former House Representative Liz Cheney, a critic of Republican extremism and Donald Trump’s incitement to attack the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Slotkin’s declared challengers on the Democratic side include Michigan Board of Education President Pamela Pugh; Nasser Beydoun, a restaurant owner; and Leslie Love, a former state legislator.
Harper hasn’t officially announced his candidacy, but he does spend time at Democratic events across the state. He recently completed an overdue $24,000 property tax bill for his Detroit mansion, a sign to some that he’s clearing the stage for an election campaign. Harper could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Republicans are struggling to recruit a serious candidate, whose absence could result in the state being wiped off the Republican battle card and leaving the seat in Democrat hands.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) failed to mention Michigan a recent CNN interview Discussion of the 2024 election map. McConnell detailed Republicans’ efforts to “not screw this up,” referring to the list of extreme and unelectable candidates that Trump backed and prevented Republicans from voting in last year’s midterm elections to win parliament.
National Republicans are struggling to find a competent candidate allegedly is trying to recruit John Tuttle, vice chairman of the New York Stock Exchange and a native of Southeast Michigan.
John James, who won a congressional seat in Michigan last year and was the GOP’s nominee for Senate in both 2018 and 2020, declined another statewide nomination. The party’s declared candidates include Michael Hoover, a business owner, and Nikki Snyder, a nurse and member of the state board of education.