In what feels like a field-clearing move, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin released a video Monday morning announcing her run to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
From the moment Stabenow announced her intention to retire, Slotkin was widely considered the front-runner for the Democratic nomination to replace her. Democrats considered to be potential candidates for the seat — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, and state Sen. Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow — have all backed away from a run.
Slotkin, who has represented Livingston County in Washington, D.C., for three terms, will be a formidable opponent for anyone running against her. Slotkin is — hands-down — one of the best campaigners I’ve ever seen in covering Livingston County politics for three decades, a group of three that includes favorite son Mike Rogers, and the retiring Stabenow. Slotkin’s campaigning ability is rivaled only by her fundraising prowess, making a combination that is sure to strike terror into the hearts of anyone considering a run against her.
Republican groups spent almost $14 million against Slotkin in the midterm elections, only for her to win the race by almost 6 percentage points, her largest margin ever. Slotkin raised $10 million for her 2022 campaign.
In Congress, Slotkin has championed strengthening U.S. supply chains and bringing manufacturing back home to create jobs with dignity. Over the last four years, she’s helped write and pass legislation to protect auto workers and jumpstart American microchip manufacturing; to cap the cost of prescription drugs like insulin; and to expand benefits to millions of American veterans. She has also pushed for legislation to ban Members of Congress from trading stocks and to ban corporate PACs from influencing our elections.
Republican Nikki Snyder, a member of the Michigan Board of Education, has announced her intention to run for Stabenow’s seat. Snyder, a nurse, had attempted to run in the 2020 Republican primary to challenge Slotkin for the 8th District Congressional seat, but was tossed off the ballot because she fell well short of the 500 signatures she needed.
