Could U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who’s represented Livingston County in D.C. for the past four years, run to replace U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2025?
News that Stabenow won’t run for reelection in 2024 rocketed through the political sphere today, with speculation running rampant about who would run to replace her.
In August, Stabenow said that she was, indeed, running again, but today she released a statement that said, in part: “Inspired by a new generation of leaders, I have decided to pass the torch in the U.S. Senate. I am announcing today that I will not seek re-election and will leave the U.S. Senate at the end of my term on January 3, 2025.”
In a statement, Slotkin said that she spoke with Stabenow this morning and thanked her for everything she’s done for Michigan.
“For almost 50 years, Debbie Stabenow has brought her tireless spirit and passion for Michigan to public service,” Slotkin said in a statement. “As the first woman elected to represent our state in the U.S. Senate, she’s been our mentor, our leader, and our trailblazer.”
Slotkin went on to say that for her, Stabenow has “been a friend, confidante, and invaluable sounding board.”
“Her record of accomplishment is simply unmatched, and her voice will (be) sorely missed in the Congress.”
After he moved to Traverse City in 2021 with his husband and their two children, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was rumored to be eyeing a senate run if Stabenow retired.
Buttigieg in a statement today said: “I am fully focused on serving the President in my role as Secretary of Transportation, and not seeking any other job. We are hard at work to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, grow the economy, and create good-paying jobs.”
Stabenow spent time on the campaign trail this past election cycle with U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who won a third term in the U.S. House.
Both Stabenow and Slotkin have represented Livingston County in Congress. Stabenow beat Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Dick Chrysler of Brighton in 1996.
She went on to serve two terms representing Michigan’s 8th District — which included all of Livingston County — in Washington, D.C.
Stabenow then beat Republican incumbent Spencer Abraham in the 2000 election, and has served as Michigan’s senator since.
Slotkin picked off incumbent two-term Congressman Mike Bishop in 2018. She’s represented Livingston County in the 8th Congressional District for two terms, and is just starting representing the community as part of the newly redrawn 7th Congressional District.
I have long said that the three best campaigners in Livingston County history are Stabenow, former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers of Brighton, and Slotkin.
Another Democrat talked about as a possible candidate for Stabenow’s senate seat is state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who gained a national profile thanks in large part to a speech that went viral in which she went after state Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton, who had insinuated that McMorrow wanted to “groom” and “sexualize kindergartners.”
On the Republican side, former Michigan state Sen. Tom Barrett, who lost to Slotkin in the past election, might be eyeing a run for Stabenow’s senate seat.
And I have a feeling that the controversial Mike Detmer from Howell, who has never made it out of primary, is thinking about a run, too. Detmer gained notoriety for taking a maskless selfie that included a member of the Proud Boys at a protest in Lansing in the middle of the pandemic. (You can read all our coverage of Detmer by clicking here.)
