Michigan will elect a new member of the United States Senate for the first time in a decade this fall.
For Democrats, the August primary presents a simple choice that may not be so simple.
A slew of Democrats voiced interest in Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat when incumbent Senator Debbie Stabenow announced last year that she would not seek a fifth term.
But for a variety of reasons, the final field in the Democratic primary has boiled down to just two: Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and actor/businessman Hill Harper.
For the past year, Slotkin has been busy making the rounds.
“Thank you for the local for rolling out the red carpet and letting us be here for our first field event,” said Slotkin, as she met with supporters at a union hall in Saginaw.
Slotkin is wrapping up her third term in congress.
Her credentials as a former CIA operative, who served in Iraq, as well as the Bush and Obama White Houses, helped her win in a majority Republican mid-Michigan district against well supported GOP candidates.
On the campaign trail, Slotkin focuses her message on November’s general election, basically ignoring August’s primary against Hill Harper. Slotkin says she does not have any “radical” policy differences with her Democratic primary opponent. But she insists there is a difference.
“Frankly, it’s the experience. Right?” said Slotkin, “It’s having experience being a member of Congress. Fighting for my community. Showing up over and over again over years. Bringing home the bacon for my community…and of course, running and winning tough races. Those are differences between us.”
An actor best known for his role in the television drama The Good Doctor, Hill Harper has worked to build support among union, progressive, and Black voters, including at a rally earlier this month in Detroit.
“We have to unify this state. We have to unify coalitions and we have to represent the most vulnerable among us,” Hill told the crowd gathered in Hart Plaza, in front of a statue of Martin Luther King Jr.
Harper insists there are differences between the agenda he’ll bring to Washington and what Elissa Slotkin has done while in Congress.
“She didn’t co-sponsor George Floyd Justice in Policing. She didn’t co-sponsor the Cannabis and Expungement Act. She didn’t co-sponsor Medicare for All in the 117th – 118th Congress. Those are some massive differences,” said Hill.
Slotkin’s campaign says she voted for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act . Slotkin opposes Medicare for All.
David Dulio is the director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Oakland University.
He sees Slotkin in a strong position heading into the August Primary.
But Dulio says the Israel-Hamas war could prove significant, if Hill Harper is able to attract the support of the 100,000 Democrats who voted uncommitted in Michigan’s February presidential primary, as a rebuke to President Joe Biden.
“If they go and vote for Hill Harper and say 'We’ve voting against the establishment' and the candidate that’s closer to the president, I could totally see that happening,” said Dulio, though he added, “But I just don’t think that’s enough.”
Harper’s repeated calls for a ceasefire in Gaza has attracted support among some of the key figures in the uncommitted movement.
Slotkin’s campaign can also point to some key endorsements.
But neither has received nor will likely receive the endorsement of the person who’s retirement announcement started the whole Democratic primary battle: Debbie Stabenow.
“I’ll look forward to campaigning with the winner of the August 6 election. And until then there’s a robust campaign going on,” said Stabenow.
In the end, it will be up to August Democratic Primary voters to decide whether they will give their endorsement to Slotkin or Harper, as the party’s control of the pivotal U.S. Senate seat is up for grabs in November.
