Lena Epstein is ending her bid for a Michigan U.S. Senate seat.
The Republican candidate has decided to switch races and instead will run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The 11th District seat is currently held by Republican Congressman Dave Trott, who announced he would not seek re-election in 2018.
Epstein raised more than $450,000 for her U.S. Senate campaign. That money will transfer to her new congressional campaign. Epstein said in a statement:
I'm incredibly proud of the success we were having in the race for U.S. Senate in terms of grassroots support, fundraising, and early polling. Yet I cannot ignore the requests from supporters, grassroots Republicans, and business leaders from throughout Southeast Michigan who want to be sure that Republicans nominate the strongest possible candidate to hold this congressional seat.
Former state lawmaker Rocky Raczkowski also announced his bid for the 11th District today. Raczkowski, a Republican, has previously run for both the U.S. House and Senate. He made his announcement Monday in an email. He's a businessman, Army veteran and former state lawmaker.
Two former members of the Obama administration are running - Treasury official Haley Stevens and Homeland Security adviser Fayrouz Saad.
Michigan's 11th District includes Western Wayne County, Waterford and Troy.
