Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin has gained Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, giving Democrats a bittersweet victory in a swing state that additionally backed Republican Donald Trump in his profitable bid to return to the White Home.
Slotkin, a third-term consultant, defeated former Republican congressman Mike Rogers. Democrats have held each Senate seats in Michigan for many years, however this 12 months have been left with out retiring incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Michigan’s was amongst a handful of Senate races struggled to defend Democrats, shedding their Senate majority regardless of Slotkin’s slender win.
However the race was extremely shut. Slotkin on Wednesday acknowledged that many citizens might have solid a poll for her whereas additionally backing Trump, who took the state’s electoral votes over Democrat Kamala Harris.
Slotkin’s win extends her social gathering’s dominance in Michigan, the place Democrats haven’t misplaced a statewide race since Trump gained the state by simply over 10,000 votes in 2016. Democrats at the moment maintain the governorship and management each chambers of the legislature, although your complete state Home is up for reelection this 12 months.
Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and third-term consultant, launched her Senate marketing campaign shortly after Stabenow introduced her retirement in early 2023. With a largely uncontested major, Slotkin constructed a major fundraising benefit and poured it into promoting. Her high-profile supporters included former President Barack Obama and Stabenow, who helped her on the marketing campaign path.
On the Republican facet, Rogers confronted a number of challengers for the social gathering’s nomination, together with former Reps. Justin Amash and Peter Meijer, the latter of whom withdrew earlier than the Aug. 6 major. Rogers served within the U.S. Home from 2001 to 2015 and chaired the Home Intelligence Committee.
Trump gained Michigan in 2016 by simply over 10,000 votes, marking the primary time a Republican presidential candidate had secured the state in practically three many years. This time, he expanded that margin to about 80,000 votes.
Slotkin and different Michigan Democrats centered a lot of their campaigns on reproductive rights, arguing that Republican opponents would again a nationwide abortion ban, though Rogers mentioned he would not. How successfully the problem motivated voting in a state the place reproductive rights have been enshrined within the structure by Michigan voters in 2022 remained to be seen on Election Day.
About 4 in 10 Michigan voters mentioned the economic system and jobs is the highest problem going through the nation, in response to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of greater than 110,000 voters nationally, together with about 3,700 voters in Michigan. About 2 in 10 Michigan voters mentioned immigration is essentially the most urgent problem, and roughly 1 in 10 named abortion.
Slotkin used her funding benefit to determine her narrative early, aiming to attach each together with her base and disillusioned Republicans.
“For the Republicans who feel like their party has left them over the last few years, you will always have an open door in my office,” Slotkin mentioned throughout their solely debate.
