Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin is the first Democrat to announce she will seek the seat to replace Michigan US Senator Debbie Stabenow, who will retire after her current term is done.
Slotkin, a former intelligence analyst, unseated an incumbent Republican to win a House seat in 2018 and won extremely tight races twice more. Her decision to run for the Senate was anticipated but made formal in a video posted Monday morning to her campaign website. She said her focus will be on issues that matter to the middle class.
“Like protecting our children from the things that are truly harming them and preserving our rights and our democracy so that our kids can live their version of the American dream," Slotkin said. "This is why I’m running for the United States Senate. We need a new generation of leaders that thinks differently, works harder and never forgets that we are public servants."
The Democratic and Republican Senate nominees will be selected in a primary election next year.
Michigan is considered a swing state, but has not sent a Republican to the US Senate since 1994. The Democratic and Republican nominees will be selected in a primary election next year.
Slotkin’s decision likely puts her mid-Michigan US House seat in play. The district stretches from Lansing to the Detroit suburbs. The district’s voters returned her to Congress in 2020 while also going heavily for Donald Trump.
