On Tuesday, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) secured the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s open Senate seat. AP News called the race at 9:00 p.m. EST as Slotkin lead the race with over 75% of the vote. She is hoping to succeed Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who did not seek reelection after preceding over the seat for almost a quarter-century.
Democratic voters chose Slotkin over the more progressive Hill Harper, the “CSI: NY” and “The Good Doctor” actor and small business owner.
Slotkin’s career in government began during the George W. Bush administration, where she worked for the CIA and National Security Council. She then worked for Barack Obama’s State and Defense Departments before running for Congress in 2019.
The congresswoman has been vocal on issues like LGBTQ rights and gun control, as well as acting as a key ally of the Biden administration concerning the president’s economic agenda. But as a moderate Democrat, Slotkin has been skeptical of more progressive policies like Medicare for All and student debt forgiveness. Additionally, the former Defense official has proven hawkish on foreign policy issues concerning Syria, Yemen and Israel.
Mike Rogers, who represented Michigan’s 8th Congressional District from 2001 to 2015, will be Slotkin’s opponent. AP News called the race at 9:00 p.m. EST as he lead with over 70% of the vote. He defeated Justin Amash, the former congressman who was chased out of the Republican Party in 2019 after he called for Donald Trump’s impeachment during the former president’s first impeachment trial.
Much like Slotkin, he is by no means a radical; the longtime politico is deeply embedded within the old Republican establishment. However, much like many of his colleagues, Rogers has pivoted more towards the right, was Trump’s preferred candidate in the primary and spoke at the party’s convention last month. Such allegiance conflicts with Rogers’ previous statements about Trump, calling the former president “clearly destructive” and rejecting his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
“Biden was lawfully elected to the presidency,” Rogers said. “There is never a time in American democracy when violence accomplishes what you want … It is giving up on our Constitution when you storm the Capitol to try to change an election.”
Rogers also has positioned himself with Trump’s America First agenda despite personally profiting from work with Chinese, Saudi and Finnish companies. In one instance, he continued working with Nokia while the company made business deals with Huawei — even after co-authoring a report on the Chinese tech company’s threats to national security in 2012.