Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-MI 8) won her party's primary race for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat Tuesday night.
Slotkin said her top priorities include protecting and growing the middle class, expanding access to health care, and addressing gun violence.
At her election night party in Detroit, Slotkin asked supporters to hold her to those pledges.
“I understand what it’s like to be cynical about politics and not expect a lot from your elected officials. I understand that the bar is low for many elected officials. My plan is to leap over that very, very low bar,” Slotkin said.
Slotkin will face former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers, the winner of the G.O.P. primary, in November’s general election. The race is among those that could shift the balance of the U.S. Senate.
Both Slotkin and Rogers have a background in government intelligence. They’ve also both represented mid-Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rogers left Congress after 2014 while Slotkin won her first election for that same seat in 2018.
One key difference outside of policy, however, is their campaign bank accounts.
At the end of the most recent federal reporting period, Slotkin’s campaign had around $8.7 million on hand. Rogers had around $2.5 million available.
That’s after Slotkin easily cruised through her party’s primary election with support from Democrats across the state after facing a challenge from actor Hill Harper.
During her Tuesday night party, several Democrats, including retiring U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI 11), and state Senator Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) were in attendance.
Anthony said she was impressed Slotkin took time to listen to important constituencies.
The general election will take place November 5.