U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Lansing) has raised more than $2.2 million in contributions for her bid for U.S. Senate, far outpacing the two current Republican candidates, according to a spreadsheet of first quarter campaign finance data filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Slotkin has raised $2,210,380 in contributions, with $2,170,480 of that coming from individual contributions during the first quarter of the 2024 campaign season. There have been six political action committees that have given $5,000, including the Tri-State Maxed-Out Women PAC, The Next 50 PAC, American Hospital Association, Credit Union National Association, Oceans PAC and Liftoff PAC. Also, Emily’s List has given $5,000.
Her campaign for the U.S. House has also kicked in nearly $1 million into her Senate campaign.
She spent $761,970 during the first quarter, with the majority going toward acquiring lists and consulting firms.
As of March 31, she has just over $2.3 million on hand to go against the Republicans for the seat that will be left empty after U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) retires.
Two Republicans have thrown their hat in the ring to try for the U.S. Senate seat: Nikki Snyder, who is a State Board of Education member, and Michael Hoover, a first-time political candidate and business owner who worked with Dow Chemical.
Snyder had 39 donors and raised $33,436, most of which came out of her own pocket, including $26,000 on March 28.
As of March 31, she had spent $4,111 on travel expenses, which were in-kind donations from herself.
Her campaign is starting the first quarter of 2023 with $55,325, with $26,000 of that being from her own pocket.
Hoover claimed $203 raised, but all the money was from in-kind donations to himself. He has also put in $30,082 of his own money toward the campaign.
He spent $8,000 on producing videos. He traveled to a conference in Georgia on March 13 and paid for a booth at the Michigan Republican Party convention in February. He also traveled to a convention in Texas on March 5.
He has spent nearly half the money he has put in and has $15,108 left on hand.
Stabenow managed to raise $462 in small donations in January before her retirement announcement.
Her campaign will have to spend down the more than $3.5 million left on hand before 2024.
Stabenow for U.S. Senate has already made a $25,000 donation to the Historical Society of Michigan and has given a $26,000 bonus to digital consultant Michael Davidson.
She has also been refunding many large contributions since her announcement.
Other campaign finance filings show that U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Watersmeet) has a 2024 challenger, Bob Lorinser. However, Bergman outraised him in the first quarter $165,000 to $22,000.
John Conyers III has also stepped up to be a challenger against U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit).
Thanedar and Conyers were near even in the amount of money they raised in the first quarter, with the advantage going to Thanedar at $68,270 to Conyers’ $56,380.
