© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Elissa Slotkin is the first Democrat to make an official run in Michigan's Senate race

Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, at a campaign rally in East Lansing, Mich., last November. Slotkin, who was reelected to a third term in the House in the 2022 midterms, announced Monday that she's running for the Senate in 2024.
Carlos Osorio
/
AP
Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, at a campaign rally in East Lansing, Mich., last November. Slotkin, who was reelected to a third term in the House in the 2022 midterms, announced Monday that she's running for the Senate in 2024.

Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin announced Monday that she's running for retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow's seat in 2024, making her the first Democrat to declare a bid for the battleground state.

The announcement came via a video released on Slotkin's social media platforms Monday morning.

"We need a new generation of leaders that thinks differently, works harder and never forgets that we are public servants," Slotkin said in her announcement. "We need engaged citizens and principled leaders because together there is no problem we cannot solve."

Even though she's the only Democrat to announce an official bid, she's the third candidate to officially file for 2024. Two Republicans, Michael Hoover and Nikki Snyder, have already declared their candidacy. Hoover is a businessman turned political newcomer, while Snyder is currently serving as a member of the State Board of Educators.

Slotkin was reelected to a third term in the House in the 2022 midterms. Upon Stabenow's announcement of her retirement, Slotkin hinted that she was mulling a run for Senate.

In her announcement video, she says her call to public service came on Sept. 11, 2001, when she was just two days into grad school in New York City. "By the time the smoke cleared, I knew I wanted a career in public service protecting my country," Slotkin remembered.

According to her House biography page, Slotkin was recruited to serve overseas as an analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency, including three tours in Iraq, under then-Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Before turning to politics, Slotkin served as a senior Pentagon official from 2012 to 2014.

Stabenow, who turns 73 this April, has held her seat since 2000, when she became the first woman from Michigan to serve in the Senate. Before Stabenow ran for Senate, she served in the House representing the same district Slotkin represents now.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Communications Director Mike Berg said in a January statement that conservatives will "aggressively target this seat in 2024," in hopes of retaking a seat from the Democrats.

Berg continued: "This could be the first of many Senate Democrats who decide to retire rather than lose."

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Dustin Jones is a reporter for NPR's digital news desk. He mainly covers breaking news, but enjoys working on long-form narrative pieces.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content