Elissa Slotkin

Elissa Slotkin

Democratic Party

U.S. Senate Michigan

Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2031

Years in position

0

Predecessor

Debbie Stabenow

Prior offices

U.S. House Michigan District 8

Successor: Dan Kildee

Predecessor: Mike Bishop

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U.S. House Michigan District 7

Successor: Tom Barrett

Predecessor: Tim Walberg

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Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Cornell University, 1998

Graduate

Columbia University, 2003

Personal

Birthplace

New York, N.Y.

Religion

Jewish

Profession

Government administrator

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Campaign TikTok

Personal LinkedIn

Elissa Slotkin (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Michigan. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2031.

Slotkin (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Michigan. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Elissa Slotkin was born in New York, New York. Slotkin earned a bachelor's degree in rural sociology from Cornell University in 1998 and a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University in 2003. Her career experience includes working as a Middle East analyst with the CIA, the director for Iraq with the National Security Council, the senior advisor on Middle East transition with the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, and the acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs with the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2023-2024

Slotkin was assigned to the following committees:^[Source]

• Committee on Agriculture
• House Committee on Armed Services
• Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems
• Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems
• Intelligence and Special Operations

2021-2022

Slotkin was assigned to the following committees:^[Source]

• House Committee on Veterans' Affairs
• Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
• Committee on Homeland Security
• Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation
• Intelligence and Counterterrorism, Chair
• House Committee on Armed Services
• Readiness
• Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems

Key votes

See also: Key votes

Ballotpedia monitors legislation that receives a vote and highlights the ones that we consider to be key to understanding where elected officials stand on the issues. To read more about how we identify key votes, click here.

Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023-2025

The 118th United States Congress began on January 3, 2023, and ended on January 3, 2025. At the start of the session, Republicans held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-212), and Democrats held the majority in the U.S. Senate (51-49). Joe Biden (D) was the president and Kamala Harris (D) was the vice president. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia.

Key votes: 118th Congress, 2023-2025
Vote	Bill and description	Status
Yea	National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024   The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (H.R. 2670) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 22, 2023, authorizing Department of Defense activities and programs for fiscal year 2024. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report.	Passed (310-118)
Nay	To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposes.   H.R. 185 (To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers, and for other purposes.) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to nullify a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order restricting the entry of foreign citizens to the United States unless the individual was vaccinated against the coronavirus or attested they would take public health measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (227-201)
Nay	Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023   The Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 (H.R. 2811) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to raise the federal debt limit before a June 5, 2023, deadline. The bill also sought to repeal certain green energy tax credits, increase domestic natural gas and oil production, expand work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, and nullify President Joe Biden's (D) proposed student loan debt cancellation program. This bill was not taken up in the Senate, and the debt limit was instead raised through the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (217-215)
Yea	Denouncing the horrors of socialism.   H.Con.Res. 9 (Denouncing the horrors of socialism.) was a resolution approved by the House of Representatives denouncing socialism and opposing the implementation of socialist policies in the United States. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (328-86)
Nay	Lower Energy Costs Act   The Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to increase domestic energy production and exports by increasing the production of oil, natural gas, and coal, reducing permitting restrictions for pipelines, refineries, and other energy projects, and increase the production of minerals used in electronics, among other energy production-related policies. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (225-204)
Nay	Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights".   H.J.Res. 30 (Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to "Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights".) was a joint resolution of disapproval under the terms of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) passed by the 118th Congress and vetoed by President Joe Biden (D) on March 20, 2023. This was Biden's first veto of his presidency. The resolution sought to nullify a Department of Labor rule that amended the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow retirement plans to consider certain environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors in investment-related decisions. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (219-200)
Nay	Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020.   H.J.Res. 7 (Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020.) was a joint resolution of disapproval under the terms of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on April 10, 2023. The resolution ended the national coronavirus state of emergency, which began on March 13, 2020. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (229-197)
Yea	Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023   The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (H.R. 3746) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on June 3, 2023. The bill raised the federal debt limit until January 2025. The bill also capped non-defense spending in fiscal year 2024, rescinded unspent coronavirus relief funding, rescinded some Internal Revenue Service (IRS) funding, enhanced work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program (TANF), simplified environmental reviews for energy projects, and ended the student loan debt repayment pause in August 2023. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (314-117)
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)	Speaker of the House election (January 2023) - 15th vote   In January 2023, the House of Representatives held its regular election for Speaker of the House at the start of the 118th Congress. Voting began on January 3, and ended on January 7. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was elected speaker of the House in a 216-212 vote during the 15th round of voting. In order to elect a Speaker of the House, a majority of votes cast for a person by name was required. Click here to read more.	Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) (216-212)
Yea	Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant.   H.Res. 757 (Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives to be vacant.) was a resolution passed by the House of Representatives that removed Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his position as Speaker of the House. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (216-210)
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.)	Speaker of the House election (October 2023) - 4th vote   In October 2023, following Rep. Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) removal as Speaker of the House, the House of Representatives held another election for the position. Voting began on October 17 and ended on October 25. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) was elected Speaker of the House in a 220-209 vote in the fourth round of voting. In order to elect a Speaker of the House, a majority of votes cast for a person by name was required. Click here to read more.	Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) (220-209)
Nay	Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Joseph Biden, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes.   H.Res. 918 (Directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing House of Representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its Constitutional power to impeach Joseph Biden, President of the United States of America, and for other purposes.) was a resolution passed by the House of Representatives that formally authorized an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden (D). The inquiry focused on allegations that Biden used his influence as vice president from 2009 to 2017 to improperly profit from his son Hunter Biden's business dealings. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more.	Passed (221-212)
Yea	Providing for the expulsion of Representative George Santos from the United States House of Representatives.   H.Res. 878 (Providing for the expulsion of Representative George Santos from the United States House of Representatives.) was a resolution passed by the House of Representatives that removed Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from office following a House Ethics Committee investigation that determined there was substantial evidence that Santos violated the law during his 2020 and 2022 campaigns. The resolution required a simple majority vote in the House.	Passed (311-114)
Yea	The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023   The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 (H.R. 82) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on January 5, 2025, that reduced Social Security benefits for individuals who received other pensions from state or local governments. It also eliminated an offset that would reduce benefits for spouses and widows of individuals with government pensions. It also eliminated a provision that reduced benefits for an individual who received a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. This bill required a 2/3rds majority vote to pass.	Passed (327-75)
Nay	Secure the Border Act of 2023   The Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2) was passed by the U.S. House on May 11, 2024. This bill would have introduced limits to asylum eligibility and required employers to use electronic verification of employee's legal eligibility to work. This bill required a simple majority vote.	Passed (219-213)
Nay	Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024   The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 (H.R. 4366) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 9, 2024, authorizing appropriations for various government departments for the fiscal year 2024. The bill required a majority vote to pass.	Passed (219-211)
Yea	Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024   The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 (H.R. 7024) was a bill passed by the U.S. House on January 31, 2024, that would have modified the U.S. tax code, increasing how much money can be given back in credits and what is exempt. This bill required a 2/3rds majority vote to pass.	Passed (357-70)
Nay	Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025   The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (H.R. 8070) was passed by the U.S. House on June 14, 2024. The bill would have modified defense spending in the fiscal year 2025. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report.	Passed (217-199)
Yea	Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023   The Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023 (H.R. 6090) was passed by the U.S. House on May 1, 2024. This bill made it so the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights could have the authority to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism when investigating cases of discrimination. This bill required a simple majority vote to pass.	Passed (320-91)
Yea	FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024   The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (H.R.3935) was a bill passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on May 16, 2024, that reauthorized Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding until fiscal year 2028. The bill also made other modifications to address various department-related issues. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report.	Passed (387-26)
Nay	Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act   The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act (H.R. 9495) was passed by the U.S. House on November 21, 2024. The bill would have postponed U.S. tax deadlines for citizens who were wrongfully detained abroad. This bill required a simple majority to pass.	Passed (219-184)
Nay	Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors.   H.Res.863, Impeaching Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, for high crimes and misdemeanors, passed the U.S. House on February 13, 2024. The resolution impeached U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas (D) for high crimes and misdemeanors. The motion to impeach required a majority in the House and a 2/3rds vote in the Senate.	Passed (214-213)
Yea	Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025   H.R.9747, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, was passed by the 118th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on September 26, 2024, providing funding to federal agencies, including the Secret Service, and federal programs for the 2025 fiscal year. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to pass the bill as amended by a Senate and House conference report.	Passed (341-82)

Key votes: Previous sessions of Congress

Key votes (click "show" to expand or "hide" to contract)

Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021-2023 The 117th United States Congress began on January 3, 2021 and ended on January 3, 2023. At the start of the session, Democrats held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (222-213), and the U.S. Senate had a 50-50 makeup. Democrats assumed control of the Senate on January 20, 2021, when President Joe Biden (D) and Vice President Kamala Harris (D), who acted as a tie-breaking vote in the chamber, assumed office. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia. Key votes: 117th Congress, 2021-2023 Vote Bill and description Status Yea Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act   The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684) was a federal infrastructure bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on November 15, 2021. Among other provisions, the bill provided funding for new infrastructure projects and reauthorizations, Amtrak maintenance and development, bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation, clean drinking water, high-speed internet, and clean energy transmission and power infrastructure upgrades. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more. Passed (228-206) Yea American Rescue Plan Act of 2021   The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 11, 2021, to provide economic relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Key features of the bill included funding for a national vaccination program and response, funding to safely reopen schools, distribution of $1,400 per person in relief payments, and extended unemployment benefits. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more. Passed (220-210) Yea Inflation Reduction Act of 2022   The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 5376) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 16, 2022, to address climate change, healthcare costs, and tax enforcement. Key features of the bill included a $369 billion investment to address energy security and climate change, an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, allowing Medicare to negotiate certain drug prices, a 15% corporate minimum tax, a 1% stock buyback fee, and enhanced Internal Revenue Service (IRS) enforcement, and an estimated $300 billion deficit reduction from 2022-2031. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more. Passed (220-207) Yea Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act   The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (H.R. 3617) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to decriminalize marijuana, establish studies of legal marijuana sales, tax marijuana imports and production, and establish a process to expunge and review federal marijuana offenses. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (220-204) Yea For the People Act of 2021   The For the People Act of 2021 (H.R. 1) was a federal election law and government ethics bill approved by the House of Representatives. The Congressional Research Service said the bill would "expand voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It [would also limit] removing voters from voter rolls. ... Further, the bill [would address] campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices." The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more. Passed (220-210) Yea Assault Weapons Ban of 2022   The Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 (H.R. 1808) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives that sought to criminalize the knowing import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of semiautomatic assault weapons (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding devices (LCAFD). The bill made exemptions for grandfathered SAWs and LCAFDs. It required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (217-213) Yea National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022   The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (S. 1605) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 27, 2021, authorizing Department of Defense acitivities and programs for fiscal year 2022. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (363-70) Yea James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023   The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (H.R. 7776) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 23, 2022, authorizing Department of Defense activities and programs for fiscal year 2023. The bill required a 2/3 majority in the House to suspend rules and pass the bill as amended. Passed (350-80) Yea American Dream and Promise Act of 2021   The American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 (H.R. 6) was an immigration bill approved by the House of Representatives that proposed a path to permanent residence status for unauthorized immigrants eligible for Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure, among other immigration-related proposals. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (228-197) Yea Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022   The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022 (S. 3373) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 10, 2022, that sought to address healthcare access, the presumption of service-connection, and research, resources, and other matters related to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during military service. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (342-88) Yea Chips and Science Act   The Chips and Science Act (H.R. 4346) was a bill approved by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on August 9, 2022, which sought to fund domestic production of semiconductors and authorized various federal science agency programs and activities. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (243-187) Yea Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021   The Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 (H.R. 3755) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives. The bill proposed prohibiting governmental restrictions on the provision of and access to abortion services and prohibiting governments from issuing some other abortion-related restrictions. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (218-211) Yea SAFE Banking Act of 2021   The SAFE Banking Act of 2021 (H.R. 1996) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives that proposed prohibiting federal regulators from penalizing banks for providing services to legitimate cannabis-related businesses and defining proceeds from such transactions as not being proceeds from unlawful activity, among other related proposals. Since the House moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill in an expedited process, it required a two-thirds majority vote in the House. Passed (321-101) Yea Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022   The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (H.R. 2471) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on March 15, 2022, providing for the funding of federal agencies for the remainder of 2022, providing funding for activities related to Ukraine, and modifying or establishing various programs. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (260-171) Yea Equality Act   The Equality Act (H.R. 5) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that proposed prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system, among other related proposals. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (224-206) Yea Respect for Marriage Act   The Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404) was a bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 13, 2022. The bill codified the recognition of marriages between individuals of the same sex and of different races, ethnicities, or national origins, and provided that the law would not impact religious liberty or conscience protections, or provide grounds to compel nonprofit religious organizations to recognize same-sex marriages. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more. Passed (258-169) Yea Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023   The Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (H.R. 6833) was a bill approved by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on September 30, 2022. It provided for some fiscal year 2023 appropriations, supplemental funds for Ukraine, and extended several other programs and authorities. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (230-201) Yea Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act   The Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act (H.R. 7688) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to prohibit individuals from selling consumer fuels at excessive prices during a proclaimed energy emergency. It would have also required the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether the price of gasoline was being manipulated. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (217-207) Yea Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021   The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 8) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to prohibit the transfer of firearms between private parties unless a licensed firearm vendor conducted a background check on the recipient. The bill also provided for certain exceptions to this requirement. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (227-203) Yea Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act   The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act was a federal elections bill approved by the House of Representatives and voted down by the Senate in a failed cloture vote that sought to, among other provisions, make Election Day a public holiday, allow for same-day voter registration, establish minimum early voting periods, and allow absentee voting for any reason, restrict the removal of local election administrators in federal elections, regulate congressional redistricting, expand campaign finance disclosure rules for some organizations, and amend the Voting Rights Act to require some states to obtain clearance from the U.S. Department of Justice before implementing new election laws. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more. Passed (220-203) Yea Bipartisan Safer Communities Act   The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938) was a firearm regulation and mental health bill passed by the 117th Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on June 25, 2022. Provisions of the bill included expanding background checks for individuals under the age of 21, providing funding for mental health services, preventing individuals who had been convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor or felony in dating relationships from purchasing firearms for five years, providing funding for state grants to implement crisis intervention order programs, and providing funding for community-based violence prevention initiatives. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more. Passed (234-193) Yea Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.   This was a resolution before the 117th Congress setting forth an article of impeachment saying that Donald Trump (R) incited an insurrection against the government of the United States on January 6, 2021. The House of Representatives approved the article of impeachment, and the Senate adjudged that Trump was not guilty of the charges. The article of impeachment required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more. Passed (232-197) Yea Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022   The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act was a bill passed by the 117th Congress in the form of an amendment to a year-end omnibus funding bill that was signed into law by President Joe Biden (D) on December 23, 2022. The bill changed the procedure for counting electoral votes outlined in the Electoral Count Act of 1887. Elements of the bill included specifying that the vice president's role at the joint session of congress to count electoral votes is ministerial, raising the objection threshold at the joint session of congress to count electoral votes to one-fifth of the members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, identifying governors as the single official responsible for submitting the certificate of ascertainment identifying that state’s electors, and providing for expedited judicial review of certain claims about states' certificates identifying their electors. The bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Click here to read more. Passed (225-201) Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2021 The 116th United States Congress began on January 9, 2019, and ended on January 3, 2021. At the start of the session, Democrats held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (235-200), and Republicans held the majority in the U.S. Senate (53-47). Donald Trump (R) was the president and Mike Pence (R) was the vice president. We identified the key votes below using Congress' top-viewed bills list and through marquee coverage of certain votes on Ballotpedia. Key votes: 116th Congress, 2019-2021 Vote Bill and description Status Yea Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2020   The Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2020 (H.R. 1044) was a bill passed by the House of Representatives seeking to increase the cap on employment-based visas, establish certain rules governing such visas, and impose some additional requirements on employers hiring holders of such visas. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. Passed (365-65) Yea The Heroes Act   The HEROES Act (H.R. 6800) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to address the COVID-19 outbreak by providing $1,200 payments to individuals, extending and expanding the moratorium on some evictions and foreclosures, outlining requirements and establishing finding for contact tracing and COVID-19 testing, providing emergency supplemental appropriations to federal agencies for fiscal year 2020, and eliminating cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatments. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (208-199) Yea For the People Act of 2019   The For the People Act of 2019 (H.R.1) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to protect election security, revise rules on campaign funding, introduce new provisions related to ethics, establish independent, nonpartisan redistricting commissions, and establish new rules on the release of tax returns for presidential and vice presidential candidates. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (234-193) Yea CARES Act   The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on March 27, 2020, that expanded benefits through the joint federal-state unemployment insurance program during the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation also included $1,200 payments to certain individuals, funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and funds for businesses, hospitals, and state and local governments. This bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House. Passed (419-6) Yea Equality Act   The Equality Act (H.R. 5) was a bill approved by the House Representatives that sought to ban discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity by expanding the definition of establishments that fall under public accomodation and prohibiting the denial of access to a shared facility that is in agreement with an indiviual's gender indenitity. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (236-173) Yea Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019   The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8) was a bill approved by the House that sought to ban firearm transfers between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (240-190) Yea American Dream and Promise Act of 2019   The American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R.6) was a bill approved by the House Representatives that sought to protect certain immigrants from removal proceedings and provide a path to permanent resident status by establishing streamlined procedures for permanant residency and canceling removal proceedings against certain qualifed individuals. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (237-187) Yea National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020   The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (S. 1790) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on December 20, 2019, setting policies and appropriations for the Department of Defense. Key features of this bill include appropriations for research/development, procurement, military construction, and operation/maintenence, as well as policies for paid family leave, North Korea nuclear sanctions, limiting the use of criminal history in federal hiring and contracting, military housing privatization, and paid family leave for federal personnel. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (377-48) Yea Families First Coronavirus Response Act   The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on March 18, 2020, addressing the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing access to unemployment benefits and food assistance, increasing funding for Medicaid, providing free testing for COVID-19, and requiring employers to provide paid sick time to employees who cannot work due to COVID-19. The bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House. Passed (363-40) Yea Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019   The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (H.R. 1994) was a bill passed by the House Representatives that sought to change the requirements for employer provided retirement plans, IRAs, and other tax-favored savings accounts by modfying the requirements for things such as loans, lifetime income options, required minimum distributions, the eligibility rules for certain long-term, part-time employees, and nondiscrimination rules. The bill also sought to treat taxable non-tuition fellowship and stipend payments as compensation for the purpose of an IRA, repeal the maximum age for traditional IRA contributions, increase penalties for failing to file tax returns, allow penalty-free withdrawals from retirement plans if a child is born or adopted, and expand the purposes for which qualified tuition programs may be used. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (417-3) Yea Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act   The Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R. 3) was a bill approved by the House Representatives that sought to address the price of healthcare by requiring the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate prices for certain drugs, requiring drug manufactures to issue rebates for certain drugs covered under Medicare, requiring drug price transparency from drug manufacturers, expanding Medicare coverage, and providing funds for certain public health programs. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (230-192) Yea Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020   The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 1865) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on December 20, 2019, providing appropriations for federal agencies in fiscal year 2020. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (297-120) Yea Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019   The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 (S. 1838) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump (R) on November 27, 2019, directing several federal departments to assess Hong Kong's unique treatment under U.S. law. Key features of the bill include directing the Department of State to report and certify annually to Congress as to whether Hong Kong is sufficiently autonomous from China to justify its unique treatment, and directing the Department of Commerce to report annually to Congress on China's efforts to use Hong Kong to evade U.S. export controls and sanctions. This bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House. Passed (417-1) Yea MORE Act of 2020   The MORE Act of 2020 (H.R. 3884) was a bill approved by the House of Representatives that sought to decriminalize marijuana by removing marijuana as a scheduled controlled substance and eliminating criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana. This bill required a simple majority vote from the House. Passed (228-164) Yea Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020   The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 6074) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 6, 2020, providing emergency funding to federal agencies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Key features of the bill include funding for vaccine research, small business loans, humanitarian assistance to affected foreign countries, emergency preparedness, and grants for public health agencies and organizations. This bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to suspend the rules and pass the bill. Passed (415-2) Yea Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019   The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (H.J.Res. 31) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on February 15, 2019, providing approrations for Fiscal Year 2019. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House. Passed (300 -128) Yea John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act   The John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (S. 47) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Doanld Trump on March 12, 2019. This bill sought to set provisions for federal land management and conservation by doing things such as conducting land exchanges and conveyances, establishing programs to respond to wildfires, and extending and reauthorizing wildlife conservation programs. This bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House. Passed (363-62) Yea William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (On passage)   The William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (H.R. 6395) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and vetoed by President Donald Trump on December 23, 2020. Congress voted to override Trump's veto, and the bill became law on January 1, 2021. The bill set Department of Defense policies and appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021. Trump vetoed the bill due to disagreement with provisions related to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the renaming of certain military installations, limits on emergency military construction fund usage, and limits on troop withdrawals. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House on passage, and a two-thirds majority vote in the House to override Trump's veto. Passed (335-78) Yea William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Overcoming veto)   The William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (H.R. 6395) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and vetoed by President Donald Trump on December 23, 2020. Congress voted to override Trump's veto, and the bill became law on January 1, 2021. The bill set Department of Defense policies and appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021. Trump vetoed the bill due to disagreement with provisions related to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the renaming of certain military installations, limits on emergency military construction fund usage, and limits on troop withdrawals. This bill required a simple majority vote in the House on passage, and a two-thirds majority vote in the House to override Trump's veto. Passed (322-87) Yea Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019   The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (S.24) was a bill passed by the 116th Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on January 16, 2019, that requires federal employees who were furloughed or compelled to work during a lapse in government funding to be compensated for that time. The bill also required those employees to be compensated as soon as the lapse in funding ends, irregardless of official pay date. This bill required a two-thirds majority vote in the House to suspend the rules and pass the bill. Passed (411-7) Yea Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. (Article 1)   The 2020 impeachment of Donald Trump (R) was a resolution before the 116th Congress to set forth two articles of impeachment saying that Trump abused his power and obstructed congress. The first article was related to allegations that Trump requested the Ukrainian government investigate former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and his son, Hunter Biden, in exchange for aid, and the second was related to Trump's response to the impeachment inquiry. The House of Representatives approved both articles of impeachment, and the Senate adjudged that Trump was not guilty of either charge. The articles of impeachment required a simple majority vote in the House. Guilty (230-197) Yea Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. (Article 2)   The 2020 impeachment of Donald Trump (R) was a resolution before the 116th Congress to set forth two articles of impeachment saying that Trump abused his power and obstructed congress. The first article was related to allegations that Trump requested the Ukrainian government investigate former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and his son, Hunter Biden, in exchange for aid, and the second was related to Trump's response to the impeachment inquiry. The House of Representatives approved both articles of impeachment, and the Senate adjudged that Trump was not guilty of either charge. The articles of impeachment required a simple majority vote in the House. Guilty (229-198)

Elections

2024

See also: United States Senate election in Michigan, 2024

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Michigan

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Michigan on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elissa Slotkin (D)	48.6	2,712,686
		Mike Rogers (R)	48.3	2,693,680
		Joseph Solis-Mullen (L)	1.0	56,697
		Douglas P. Marsh (G)	1.0	53,978
		Dave Stein (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	0.7	41,363
		Doug Dern (Natural Law Party)	0.3	18,779
		Valerie Willis (U.S. Taxpayers Party) (Write-in)	0.0	2
	Submit photo	James Chapman (R) (Write-in)	0.0	1
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	4

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,577,190
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• James Frizzell (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Michigan

Elissa Slotkin defeated Hill Harper in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Michigan on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elissa Slotkin	76.3	712,791
		Hill Harper	23.7	221,053

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 933,844
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Pamela Pugh (D)
• Nasser Beydoun (D)
• Leslie Love (D)
• Zack Burns (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Michigan

Mike Rogers defeated Justin Amash, Sherry O'Donnell, and Sandy Pensler in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Michigan on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Rogers	63.2	555,766
		Justin Amash	15.6	137,565
		Sherry O'Donnell	12.1	106,466
		Sandy Pensler	9.1	79,772

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 879,569
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• J.D. Wilson (R)
• Sharon Savage (R)
• Michael Hoover (R)
• Bensson Samuel (R)
• Alexandria Taylor (R)
• Peter Meijer (R)
• James Craig (R)
• Nikki Snyder (R)
• Rebekah Curran (R)
• Glenn Wilson (R)

Green convention

Green convention for U.S. Senate Michigan

Douglas P. Marsh advanced from the Green convention for U.S. Senate Michigan on June 15, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Douglas P. Marsh (G)

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Michigan

Joseph Solis-Mullen advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Michigan on July 20, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Joseph Solis-Mullen (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Natural Law Party convention

Natural Law Party convention for U.S. Senate Michigan

Doug Dern advanced from the Natural Law Party convention for U.S. Senate Michigan on April 17, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Doug Dern (Natural Law Party)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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U.S. Taxpayers Party convention

U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for U.S. Senate Michigan

Dave Stein advanced from the U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for U.S. Senate Michigan on July 27, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Dave Stein (U.S. Taxpayers Party)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Slotkin received the following endorsements.

• Detroit Free Press Editorial Board
• The Michigan Daily
• Barack Obama (D) -
• U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D)
• U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D)
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D)
• Kalamazoo County Democratic Party
• Actors' Equity Association
• Communication Workers of American District 4
• Michigan AFL-CIO
• VoteVets

2022

See also: Michigan's 7th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Michigan District 7

Incumbent Elissa Slotkin defeated Tom Barrett and L. Rachel Dailey in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elissa Slotkin (D)	51.7	192,809
		Tom Barrett (R)	46.3	172,624
		L. Rachel Dailey (L)	2.0	7,275

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 372,708
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7

Incumbent Elissa Slotkin advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elissa Slotkin	100.0	77,826

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 77,826
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7

Tom Barrett defeated Jacob Hagg in the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Barrett	96.0	75,491
		Jacob Hagg (Write-in)	4.0	3,108

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 78,599
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 7

L. Rachel Dailey advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on July 10, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		L. Rachel Dailey (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

See also: Michigan's 8th Congressional District election, 2020

Michigan's 8th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Republican primary)

Michigan's 8th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Incumbent Elissa Slotkin defeated Paul Junge and Joe Hartman in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elissa Slotkin (D)	50.9	217,922
		Paul Junge (R)	47.3	202,525
		Joe Hartman (L)	1.8	7,897

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 428,344
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Incumbent Elissa Slotkin advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elissa Slotkin	100.0	90,570

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 90,570
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Paul Junge defeated Mike Detmer, Kristina Lyke, and Alan Hoover in the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paul Junge	35.1	30,525
		Mike Detmer	28.6	24,863
		Kristina Lyke	25.4	22,093
		Alan Hoover	10.9	9,461

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 86,942
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Nikki Snyder (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Joe Hartman advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on July 18, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Joe Hartman (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2018

See also: Michigan's 8th Congressional District election, 2018

See also: Michigan's 8th Congressional District election (August 7, 2018 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Elissa Slotkin defeated incumbent Mike Bishop, Brian Ellison, and David Jay Lillis in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elissa Slotkin (D)	50.6	172,880
		Mike Bishop (R)	46.8	159,782
		Brian Ellison (L)	1.8	6,302
	Submit photo	David Jay Lillis (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	0.8	2,629

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 341,593 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Elissa Slotkin defeated Chris Smith in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elissa Slotkin	70.7	57,819
		Chris Smith	29.3	23,996

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,815
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Incumbent Mike Bishop defeated Lokesh Kumar in the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Bishop	92.3	75,403
		Lokesh Kumar	7.7	6,254

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,657
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8

Brian Ellison advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House Michigan District 8 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brian Ellison	100.0	522

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 522
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Elissa Slotkin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Elissa Slotkin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Elissa Slotkin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Slotkin's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a third-generation Michigander who spent my early years on my family farm in Holly, and I grew up riding four-wheelers, watching the Pistons clinch NBA championships and seeing Andre the Giant wrestle at the Silverdome. I am also a career national security professional who joined the CIA in the wake of 9-11 and served three tours as an intelligence analyst in Iraq, where I met my husband, Dave, a 30-year Army officer. I proudly served both Republican and Democratic presidents on the National Security Council and held senior positions at the Pentagon. After an apolitical life in national security, I ran for Congress because I believe, and still believe, that the division and vitriol I saw in politics is unbecoming of the nation I served, and because I thought Congress needed more leaders who will put country before party and never forget who they serve. I believe Michiganders want public servants whom they can respect even when they disagree, and I want to raise the bar for elected officials. I have two step-daughters, both in public service, and Dave and I live on that same family farm in Holly.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I am focused on the issues my constituents ask me about the most: The price of health care and prescription drugs; protecting the water in our lakes and streams and coming out of our taps; creating good jobs and economic opportunity; and bringing some decency and civility to politics.

• As we work to recover from COVID-19 and restart our economy, we must focus on smart, strategic stimulus policies that support working families and small businesses today, reduce our dependence on China and other foreign sources of critical supplies, and heed the lesson of the pandemic that supporting U.S. manufacturing isn't just an economic imperative, but a national security necessity.

• The crises our nation has faced in recent months demonstrate the need for clear, consistent, compassionate, action-oriented leadership that puts the interests of the American people ahead of partisan politics and seeks bipartisan solutions, even if it's a struggle. I have worked throughout my first term to reach across the aisle and find practical solutions, and believe working across the aisle is a mandate and part of my job.

   Featured local question

How would you foster a more bipartisan, cooperative atmosphere in Congress?

I believe it is impossible to solve tough challenges on a partisan basis, and each of my major legislative achievements has been bipartisan, including legislation to address PFAS contamination, lower prescription costs, and restore Congress' constitutional role in the use of military force. Every piece of legislation I have written that became law required working across the aisle. My membership in the Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, has been of great value because of the bipartisan discussions it fosters and the bipartisan solutions we have offered on tough issues such as safely reopening our economy amid COVID-19. That experience tells me that we can achieve more bipartisan cooperation if members work at it: take the time to reach out to colleagues; get to know members of the opposite party as people as well as politicians; focus on areas of agreement rather than arguments and friction points; make it a point to work with members of the other party on joint projects; refuse to let partisan dividing lines get in the way of achieving solutions for the people you represent.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Health care is personal to me. I entered politics because I saw my representative celebrating his vote to remove protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions. As the daughter of a woman who struggled with health coverage most of her life because of a pre-existing condition, and had to pay outrageous sums for coverage, that was unacceptable to me. As a national security professional, I try to use my past experience and expertise as a member of Congress to bring the practical, solutions-focused, country-before-party approach that was instilled in me during my time serving at the CIA, the Pentagon, and at the White House under Presidents of both parties.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my dad, whose integrity was his livelihood in working at our family meat business, Hygrade Foods, and later as a meat broker. He taught me that your handshake is a promise. I look up to Secretary Madeleine Albright, who combines a fierce passion for American values with trailblazing leadership for women in national security. I also look up to Sen. Carl Levin, who showed that earning the voters' respect is more important than winning their vote.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Michigan has been fortunate to have elected officials whom voters respected for their integrity and commitment to service: Republicans such as Bill Milliken; Democrats like Carl Levin and John Dingell. Even Michiganders who never cast a vote for these leaders knew that each of them made their decisions based on their personal values and a sincere commitment to the people of Michigan, and that they always acted with integrity. Any elected official should aspire to a legacy like that.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I do not believe in any one litmus test for elected service, but from what I have seen, prior, nonpartisan service can be an important asset. I served presidents of both parties during my time at the CIA, the White House, and the Pentagon, and every day we focused on solving tough problems, without partisanship. If someone at the CIA or the Pentagon spent an entire meeting talking about themselves instead of focusing on the mission, they'd be dismissed. That mission-focused attitude helps in a political place like Congress, and I believe Congress would benefit from the experience of more national security professionals in office.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I have attended two State of the Union addresses. My guest in 2019 was Amanda Thomashow, who filed the first Title IX complaint against Michigan State University in response to the abuse of Larry Nassar. Amanda herself was a Nassar victim, and not only did she show tremendous courage in stepping forward to bring his actions to light, she has been a strong voice for holding MSU accountable for allowing Nassar's abuse to continue, and for bringing victims together to gain strength from one another. In 2020, I attended with Sarah Stark, a Type 1 diabetic who pays $1,000 a month for insulin, 15 times what it cost when she was first diagnosed and many times what it costs to produce. She speaks about the effect of those costs - about the constant anxiety of balancing that immense cost with the need to put food on the table and pay the rent -- with powerful moral force. Though the causes they advocate for are very different, these two women share striking similarities: the courage to share their personal stories, and the compassion to use their voices not just for themselves, but for the good of others.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Slotkin's campaign website stated the following:

“	Affordable Healthcare I believe all Americans should have access to healthcare they can afford, regardless of pre-existing conditions. No one should ever go broke because they happen to get sick, and no family should have to decide whether they can afford to save the life of a loved one. I believe we need true bipartisan reform of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). We should also consider options that would allow people the choice to buy into plans, such as Medicare, that have been proven to control costs for consumers. Healthcare reform must be accompanied by a serious effort to reform standards on the prescription drug industry in order to bring down prescription drug costs, something both Democrats and Republicans left out of the original ACA legislation. Like many Americans, healthcare is a deeply personal issue for me. In fact, healthcare was the reason I decided to first run for office. In 2009, my mother was diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer at a time when she was uninsured. She had struggled with her healthcare since 2002 when she lost her job and benefits. She had breast cancer as a young woman — what we now call a “pre-existing condition” — so she couldn’t find a healthcare plan that she could afford for many years. Eventually she got insurance, but unbeknownst to my family, she let it lapse just months before her cancer returned. A loophole saved her from going bankrupt from the high cost of her medical bills, but our family’s experience is evidence of a broken system. Our nation has made important strides over the past seven years. The ACA ensured that insurance companies could not discriminate based on pre-existing conditions, eliminated lifetime coverage limits, allowed young people to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26, and made some progress in bringing down healthcare and drug costs for seniors. But there is much more to do: premiums have risen, particularly for small business owners, and too many people in our district are covered but struggle to afford the high premiums and deductibles associated with their insurance plans. We need to approach healthcare with the seriousness and focus it deserves. I believe it is important to work in a bipartisan fashion to tackle the challenges that remain under the ACA. But the way ahead must safeguard vital components of the ACA: protection for essential health benefits, no annual or lifetime coverage caps, no denial of coverage based on health status or pre-existing conditions, and no discrimination based on gender. I believe we must bring down the high price of prescription drugs, which is why I have cosponsored a number of bills to increase transparency around drug pricing, and to allow for price negotiations, which will bring down drug costs for all consumers. The health and safety of our families are at stake in this debate, and we must treat this issue with the seriousness that it deserves. Lowering The Cost Of Prescription Drugs Working to lower the cost of prescription drugs has been a top priority of mine since I was elected. The cost of prescription drugs has skyrocketed over the past few decades, and research shows that 1 in 5 Americans have walked away from the pharmacy counter because they can’t afford their prescription drugs. To bring down the cost to consumers, it is essential that there is far greater price transparency, and that the government has the tools to negotiate down drug prices with the pharmaceutical companies, especially for Medicare beneficiaries. To tackle the problem of price transparency, I introduced the Real Time Benefits Act, which passed the House with unanimous, bipartisan support in October 2019. This bill creates a “real time benefits” tool which could be used by doctors and Medicare patients to access information about the cost of a prescription, compare cheaper generic alternatives, and find the pharmacy with the best price. This would allow patients to know the real cost of their prescription drugs, before they leave the doctor’s office. To tackle the issue of negotiation, I co-sponsored the Lower Drug Cost Now Act. And in December 2019 I was extremely proud to see it pass the House with bipartisan support. This comprehensive drug pricing reform bill would allow the government to directly negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to lower the costs of prescription drugs, bringing down the costs for all consumers. Right now, the Veteran’s Administration health care system is able to do just that for the nearly 10 million patients that access healthcare through the VA. Negotiation will bring prices down, which will benefit all Americans. Unfortunately, both of these bills remain stuck in the Senate’s hands. For too long, big pharmaceutical firms have bought influence through campaign donations and politicians have looked the other way as prescription drug prices have skyrocketed. I don’t accept a dime from this industry, or any corporate PAC, in my campaign. I will pledge to continue the fight for increased checks and balances on the pharmaceutical industry. The fight for affordable prescription drugs is far from over. I can’t get through the grocery store without people coming up to tell me that they can’t afford their son’s insulin, they can’t send their daughter to summer camp because they can’t afford the four required inhalers, or that their elderly parents are rationing their medication. This is a struggle that nobody should have to go through, and why I will continue to fight to find ways to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Investing In Education All children deserve access to a high-quality education that will allow them to compete in the 21st century economy — both the practical skills and the critical thinking they need to succeed. My priority is fighting for common-sense measures that support funding for science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) education, improving access to the skills training necessary to secure the well-paid jobs here in Michigan, and making higher education affordable for everyone who chooses to pursue it. From Lansing to Rochester Hills, public schools are the anchor of our communities and as they go, so goes the future of our towns and cities. Thriving public schools require skilled, committed teachers, and I will continue fighting to make sure that they get the respect and support they have earned. I believe educational innovation is important, especially in underserved communities, and I support communities having choices, including magnet schools and public non-profit charter schools. But I have strong concerns that private, for-profit charter schools may put profit-making at odds with educating Michigan’s children. Regardless of the school, I believe that it is essential for our state to have robust standards across the board. However, any alternative option must apply equal standards and include public accountability for taxpayers’ dollars that gives parents confidence in the quality of the education their children receive. Furthermore, such alternatives cannot come at the expense of ensuring that quality schools exist in each of our district’s neighborhoods. I believe our education system should work from the bottom up, from early childhood education to skilled trade programs, so that we’re providing the broad set of skills needed for our children to succeed. College shouldn’t be considered a luxury, or a requirement for success, and should be affordable for those who are interested in pursuing it. We need more options — more certification programs and college apprenticeship programs that are paired with the specific job opportunities available right now in our state — to ensure that we are educating and training our young people to contribute to growing Michigan’s economy. I believe that hard-working college graduates should get a fair shot at the American dream. However, the reality is that many students finish college saddled with crushing debt. I am committed to making higher education more affordable and more accessible to our district’s young people. I will continue to fight to strengthen federal Pell grants, expand federal funds for school-to-work programs so that students know that they have a job waiting for them when they graduate, strengthen career and technical education, and cap the student loan interest rates to reduce the debt on graduating students, to ensure that students are getting a fair shake. Growing Economic Opportunity In Michigan Michigan was the birthplace of the middle class, and we must make sure we enact policies that allow Michigan’s middle class families to succeed. Growing economic opportunity begins by investing in talent in our communities. We must train the next generation to take on roles in Michigan’s 21st century economy by connecting our workforce to the training that will prepare them for the trades, advanced manufacturing, technical, and cyber jobs of the future. Michigan has always been a place where things are designed and built. Our state has an amazing history of innovation, from the creation of the modern automobile to the invention of penicillin. But the economy is evolving in our state and we need to face forward and change with it. For our communities to thrive, we must be serious and strategic about growing economic opportunity here in Michigan. That starts with investing in education, connecting our talented young people with opportunities in our businesses, and ensuring that our entrepreneurs and small business owners are able to grow by hiring talent directly from our communities. Across our district, I hear from businesses big and small that they have trouble finding the local talent they need to compete. Instead, our companies are turning to out-of-state talent to fill their critical openings, particularly in IT, cyber-security, coding, and health care. At the same time, I am constantly meeting people who are unsure of the educational path they should pursue to prepare them for well-paid careers, and fear taking on too much student debt with the promise of a job in their field. If we have critical vacancies in fields like IT and healthcare, we should invest in job training programs that match talent to opportunity. Instead of our businesses spending money to hire out of state, they should have the option to partner with the community high schools and colleges to train their own pipeline of talent. Investing In Our Infrastructure & Water Systems I live twenty minutes from Flint, Michigan — so clean, safe drinking water is something that’s always on my mind. And here in Michigan we know that you can’t talk about clean water without talking about the threat posed by PFAS contamination, often called the “forever chemical” that has found its way into hundreds of sites in Michigan due to industrial contamination. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I directly advocated for six PFAS related provisions to be included in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and I am proud that my bills to combat the threat of PFAS were signed into law by the President. As a result, the Department of Defense must stop using PFAS based firefighting foams no later than 2024, National Guard bases will be able to receive funding from the Department of Defense to support environmental remediation efforts to clean up PFAS. Importantly, as a result of my PFAS Monitoring Act, communities across the country will now be required to test for PFAS. There is still much work to be done to ensure that every Michigander has clean, drinkable water when they turn their tap — making that a reality remains one of my top priorities in Washington. Every Michigander knows that our roads need some serious work. The visible potholes in our roads are a daily reminder of how Michigan’s infrastructure is in serious need of investment. We all know the challenges, and we have the skilled workforce in our state ready to rebuild the roads, bridges, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure that our economy depends on. Investing in our infrastructure will attract investment to our state — improving our economic competitiveness — and improve the safety and security of Michiganders. I stand ready and willing to work with anybody, of any political party, who is serious about addressing this critical issue. Protecting Retirement Security If you work hard your whole life, you deserve a dignified retirement. Social Security and Medicare are a promise — one that seniors have contributed to through a lifetime of hard work. Safeguarding the economic security of retirees by defending these programs and bringing the costs of prescription drugs down have been among my top priorities since I was elected. Michiganders pay their fair share towards Medicare and Social Security. Hundreds of thousands of people across our state rely on a responsible government to preserve and protect their benefits. While I wholeheartedly support common-sense approaches to improve efficiency and reduce administrative costs for Medicare, we should not be looking to balance the federal budget on the backs of seniors. It is essential that these programs are safeguarded and defended. Our seniors have earned it. Fighting For Campaign Finance Reform Our campaign finance system is broken and largely responsible for so much of the polarization and dysfunction we see in our politics today. Much of this can be traced back to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which allowed corporate special interest money to flood into our democratic system and drown out the voice of voters in our own elections. That’s why I made the decision to refuse corporate PAC money, as I never wanted my constituents to question why I voted the way I did. The first bill I voted for as a Member of Congress was the For the People Act (HR1). This bill would curb partisan gerrymandering, expand voter rights, and crack down on the culture of corruption in Washington. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives in March of 2019, but unfortunately, it’s been stuck in the Senate ever since. I promise to continue fighting to reform our campaign finance laws, supporting policies that would increase transparency, curb unlimited spending, to ensure that the voices of our citizens are heard. I support measures that would hold candidates and donors — including my own — accountable through clearly defined fundraising disclosures, deadlines, and penalties. Voters deserve to know who is funding their elected officials. Strengthening America’s National Security Before my election to Congress, I proudly served for fourteen years with the CIA and the Department of Defense. Following the 9/11 attacks, I was recruited to join the Central Intelligence Agency as a Middle East analyst and I served a total of three tours in Iraq, alongside our nation’s military and diplomats. I served in the office of the first Director of National Intelligence, and in the White House under both President Bush and President Obama. At the Pentagon, I served as the acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs where I was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on security strategy and policy issues related to NATO, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere. Now, as a Member of Congress, I sit on the House Armed Services Committee and the Homeland Security Committee. I believe that the United States plays a unique and vital role in the world. Keeping Americans safe at home and abroad starts with a strong defense, but military power alone is not an effective strategy in a world of increasingly globalized and networked challenges. As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Homeland Security Committee, I remain focused on ensuring the United States is ready to confront both existing international challenges and new threats, from terrorism to sophisticated cyber-attacks. To do so, the United States must make investments in its military, intelligence, and diplomatic power – and continue to work with allies and partners around the globe to confront common challenges. Providing For Our Veterans Veterans’ issues are personal for me. My family is a service family. My husband is an Apache pilot and served for thirty years in the Army, retiring as a Colonel. My grandfather was awarded the Silver Star for his service at Normandy, during World War Two. My father-in-law served for twenty years in the Air Force, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. Today, my two stepdaughters are both serving in their own right: one is an active duty Army officer and the other is a physician at a VA hospital. For me, providing world-class care and support to our nation’s veterans is not an abstract policy question – it affects my life and that of my family. I believe that our veterans deserve our utmost respect and we must do more to ensure that returning veterans are given opportunities to successfully reintegrate, through more support for education, apprenticeship, and job training. In February 2020, I was proud to lead the introduction of the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act, which unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support. This bill would create a program within the VA that supports non-profits that connect veterans with service dogs. Two organizations right here in the 8th district, Blue Star Service Dogs and Veteran Service Dogs, will directly benefit from this bill and are already doing this type of meaningful work. I believe it is critical that veterans have meaningful employment opportunities when they transition to civilian life, which is why I co-led the bipartisan Support for Veterans in Effective Apprenticeships Act, which will help expand the number of registered apprenticeship programs veterans can access with their GI benefits. Advocating for our veterans is a top priority for me, and I will continue to fight to ensure they have the support and resources that they have earned. Preserving Our Environment A threat to our environment is a threat to our security and a threat to our way of life. I do not believe that a strong economy and a clean environment are mutually exclusive. In fact, in Michigan, they are intrinsically linked. After all, if you can’t sustain your business because our lakes and rivers have become polluted, that’s a threat to your economic security. If you and your family don’t have access to clean drinking water, that’s a threat to your family’s health and well being. And if polluters continue to write the rules,that’s a threat to the future of our state — and the environment we will pass down to our kids. Here in Michigan, we not only cherish our beautiful natural resources, but we depend on them to keep our families healthy and our economy strong. That’s why I’ve made protecting our environment — and the businesses that depend on them — a top priority, since over 525,000 jobs in our state are tied to the Great Lakes. In February 2020 I strongly supported the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support. This legislation will ensure that we have the funding to preserve the Great Lakes as a reliable source of clean water, fishing, and recreation for generations to come. The development of clean energy technologies like wind and solar not only helps the quality of our environment, it also means economic potential. Michigan has always been a leader in manufacturing, and I will continue to fight to position Michigan to welcome the next generation of high-skill, well-paying advanced manufacturing jobs to our state. The impact of climate change is being felt nationally, and can be seen here in Michigan. I believe climate change is an issue that must be taken seriously, and prudent planning should be undertaken to prepare for and mitigate its negative impacts. We must be realistic about our changing climate and prepare our state’s economy, communities, and environment for the impact of climate change — and get serious about how to stop it. Advancing Equality FIGHTING FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS When women succeed, families succeed, and communities succeed. While we have made great strides as a society, we must do more to ensure women have every opportunity to chart their own paths, rise up in their careers, and provide for their families. Women deserve equal pay for equal work, and there is far more to do to ensure all women are treated equally in the workplace. The United States lags far behind other nations with regards to access to maternity care and paid family leave, which helps women and families stay healthy and get ahead. I believe that women should make their own personal decisions about their reproductive health, and that politicians should not tell women what to do with their bodies. Since being elected in 2018, one of my top priorities has been ensuring that survivors of sexual assault are fully protected under the law. In December 2019, I was proud to introduce legislation that would stop Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos from dismantling Title IX protections for survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment, and to co-lead bipartisan legislation to strengthen on-campus sexual assault prevention and enforcement measures, by holding colleges and universities more accountable. As the U.S. Representative for Michigan State University, the location of the single largest case campus sexual assault in American history, I am dedicated to fighting for progress on this issue. DEFENDING LGBTQ RIGHTS Members of the LGBTQ community deserve to have full and equal protection under the law. There have been important advancements in LGBTQ equality in my lifetime, but that progress must be defended. I have always been a strong supporter of equality for the LGBTQ community, including marriage equality. It is a deeply personal issue for me: my mother came out in the 1980’s and was in a committed same-sex relationship prior to her passing away. From equality in the workplace, to access to critical healthcare services, LGBTQ Michiganders deserve equal rights and opportunities. I was serving in the Pentagon when the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was finally repealed, an update that was long overdue and that I strongly supported. No service member who meets the requirements for service should be turned away based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, including transgender service members. I am proud to have the endorsement of Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest civil rights organization working for equality on behalf of LGBTQ Americans. ADVANCING EQUALITY FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR I believe that every Michigander, no matter who they are, where they come from, how they identify, who they worship, or who they love, deserves to be safe, healthy and thrive in their community. I have spent my life working to keep Americans safe, to defend the rights that are promised to each of us in our founding documents – and that’s a fight I’m continuing in Congress. Doing one’s duty as a public servant means defending equal rights, but also ensuring equal opportunity – when it comes to access to quality schools, equitable employment opportunities, dependable and affordable healthcare, safety, and security. As a Member of Congress I’ve worked hard to truly put the public first – and that means fighting to break down the barriers that still hold Michiganders back. We have a long way to go to address the racial inequities in economic security, education, housing, safety, employment, and our criminal justice system – and these issues must be at the center of an agenda to build a stronger economy that works for everyone, and a safer and fairer Michigan. My first job out of college was working for an organization that helped address educational disparities in marginalized communities. In Congress, I will fight to ensure every child is given the chance to succeed, level the playing field in our criminal justice system, protect and expand voting rights, and promote fair hiring practices that give Michiganders a second chance to thrive and contribute in their communities. Passing Common Sense Gun Legislation I believe in and support the Second Amendment. I believe that individuals across our district, state, and country who operate guns with care and safety should be allowed to exercise the right to do so. I grew up in a gun-owning family, and when I served as an intelligence officer alongside the military in Iraq, I was trained on and carried a Glock 17 handgun and an M-4 semi-automatic weapon. My husband, who served in the U.S. Army for 30 years, carried a weapon every day he was deployed. But I also believe we need to be honest that gun violence presents a serious national security and public health issue. And it is precisely because of my experience both operating firearms and working in national security that I believe we must pass common-sense gun safety legislation. We must prohibit terrorists, the mentally ill, and domestic abusers from obtaining guns. And as an Army wife, I do not believe ordinary citizens should be able to easily obtain weapons or materiel that allow them to outgun their local police or military. Mass shootings and gun violence are a threat to the security of our families, our communities, and our schools. No parent should fear for their child’s safety after dropping them off for class. Failing to do all we can to protect our children is a failure to put the public first – and in my view, a dereliction of duty to address one of the nation’s pressing security issues. Combating The Opioid Epidemic It’s no secret that the opioid epidemic represents a national emergency across America — it is now a leading cause of death of Americans under 50 years old. I have met with the stakeholders of our communities — teachers, firefighters, police and first responders, community coalitions, treatment programs, nonprofits and hospitals — to hear directly from those most impacted by the opioid epidemic and to guide my legislative approach on this critical issue. In Congress, I have co-sponsored legislation to authorize State Opioid Response Grants, creating lasting congressional approval for a program that moves critically important funds to our state. In 2019 alone, Michigan received more than $27M through State Opioid Response Grants to help strengthen opioid response measures. And I have co-sponsored legislation that sanctions foreign drug manufacturers who knowingly provide synthetic opioids to traffickers, to crack down on the pipeline that brings these drugs into our state. In Michigan, opioid overdoses now claim more lives than car accidents, including hundreds of deaths each year across our district. This issue demands action, at every level. Fiscal Responsibility And Government Crafting a budget for the federal government is one of the most fundamental duties of the U.S. Congress. Just like a family’s budget, the federal budget is a reflection of our national values and priorities. And just like a family budget, we must identify the waste to cut in order to spend on the things that are most important to us. I believe we need to rigorously cut waste and excess, while simultaneously making smart investments in health care, education, support for small businesses, and improvements to our infrastructure. I believe that a core tenet of being an elected official is to be upfront about spending decisions, to explain both the benefits and the cuts. An example of this backward budgeting mindset is the 2017 tax bill proposed by Congress and enacted by President Trump. This legislation permanently slashed taxes for corporations and the richest Americans, while adding more than a trillion dollars to our national debt. In my mind, that’s the definition of fiscal irresponsibility – giving away permanent tax breaks to corporations without being clear what vital programs will be cut to pay the bill. We should not balance the federal budget on the backs of Middle Class families, seniors, students, or veterans — and the public should be informed about how these new bills will be paid. I strongly disagree with the usage of government shutdowns as a bargaining tactic during budget negotiations. After being elected in 2018, I was sworn into Congress in the middle of the longest government shutdown in history, which lasted thirty five days. During that period, I led a group of Freshman lawmakers to draft the Shutdown to End all Shutdowns Act, which would suspend pay for Members of Congress and suspend travel for senior Executive Branch officials in the event of a federal government shutdown. I believe that the all-too common pattern of using the federal workforce as leverage in budget negotiations is political brinkmanship at its most cynical, and it must end. Solving our country’s debt and deficit issues starts with an efficient and effective government that invests in the future of the American people. I will continue advocating for a responsible federal budget that reduces government waste and puts people before corporate profit.	”
—Elissa Slotkin's campaign website (2020)

2018

Campaign website

Slotkin’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Why I Am Running I am running for Congress because like most Americans, I believe our politics must change. I think 2018 can be the year in which, together, we will re-establish our politics for the better by returning the core principles of civility and problem-solving back to government to get results. I have spent my life in public service and I am running for elected office to serve my community in the U.S. Congress. After 9/11, I began my career in national security and have worked on some of the world’s toughest problems. I approach elected office from a service perspective: if elected, I will go to Washington to fight for you and your families. Over the next year, I hope to earn your confidence and support. Since launching my campaign in July 2017, I have heard from thousands of folks across the district about what matters most to them. I have tried to do more listening than talking. After more than 50 community meetings, 120 conversations with community leaders, more than 50 meet-and-greets in people’s homes, and some good old-fashioned Saturday door-knocking, this is what I’ve heard: Washington either doesn’t understand what’s happening in Michigan, or they don’t care. The American middle class — the backbone of the American success story for nearly 80 years — is under direct threat. Between stagnant wages and the rising cost of everything, working families are getting squeezed. People here are working harder for less. The game feels rigged by politicians in Washington, who seem to care more about the interests of big donors and corporations, than the very people they represent. I have spent my life protecting American interests, both at home and abroad. If elected, I will fight to preserve the American Dream in Michigan. I will work every day to make sure that we have world-class, affordable education that prepares our kids for well paid careers in Michigan. I will fight to ensure that all people have access to affordable health care and prescription drugs. I will make sure our kids are safe and healthy by protecting against threats to our environment, our security, and the very real threats posed by our aging infrastructure — and I will fight to bring real economic opportunity to our communities here in Michigan. There’s a lot of work to do, and I hope you give me the chance to do it. Over the course of the campaign, I hope to meet as many of you in person as possible. I want to hear directly from you. After all, the job of a U.S. Representative is to represent you. So if you have questions or feedback for me, please send me a note and let me know what’s on your mind. I will continue to update this page between now and the election in November. Affordable Healthcare I believe all Americans should have access to healthcare they can afford, regardless of pre-existing conditions. No one should ever go broke because they happen to get sick, and no family should have to decide whether they can afford to save the life of a loved one. To get there, I believe we need true bipartisan reform of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). We should also consider options that would allow people the choice to buy into plans, such as Medicare, that have been proven to control costs for consumers. Healthcare reform must be accompanied by a serious effort to reform standards on the prescription drug industry in order to bring down prescription drug costs, something both Democrats and Republicans left out of the original ACA legislation, and Republicans have left out of all their recent proposals. Like many Americans, health care is a deeply personal issue for me. In fact, health care was the reason I decided to get into this race. In 2009, my mother was diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer at a time when she was uninsured. She had struggled with her health care since 2002 when she lost her job and benefits. She had breast cancer as a young woman — what we now call a “pre-existing condition” — so she couldn’t find a health care plan that she could afford for many years. Eventually she got insurance, but she let it lapse just months before her cancer returned. A loophole saved her from going bankrupt from the high cost of her medical bills, but our family’s experience was evidence of a broken system. Our nation has made important strides over the past seven years. The ACA ensured that insurance companies could not discriminate based on pre-existing conditions, eliminated lifetime coverage limits, allowed young people to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26, and made some progress in bringing down healthcare and drug costs for seniors. But there is much more to do: premiums have risen, particularly for small business owners, and too many people in our district are covered but struggle to afford the high premiums and deductibles associated with their insurance plans. Yet, instead of rolling up their sleeves and solving problems in the ACA, many elected representatives, including our representative Mike Bishop, voted to repeal the ACA with no alternative plan to ensure that Americans would have access to affordable care. The bill that Rep. Bishop proudly voted for in May 2017 would have dramatically raised premiums and thrown 23 million Americans off of their health coverage, including over 30,000 folks here in our district. And when Rep. Bishop couldn’t succeed through legislation, he turned to sabotage. In December 2017, Rep. Bishop helped write the tax bill that included the repeal of a key insurance provision in the ACA. This change will drive up the cost of health care premiums for all of us, and leave millions of Americans without access to affordable health insurance. We need to approach healthcare with the seriousness and focus it deserves. It is important for our elected leaders to put their egos aside and work in a bipartisan fashion to tackle the challenges that remain under the ACA. But the way ahead must safeguard vital components of the ACA: protection for essential health benefits, no annual or lifetime coverage caps, no denial of coverage based on health status or pre-existing conditions, and no discrimination based on gender. The health and safety of our families are at stake in this debate, and our representatives should treat the issue with the seriousness that it deserves. Affordable Prescription Drugs For far too long, the large pharmaceutical companies have had American consumers over a barrel: we need their life-saving drugs so we are at their mercy when they increase prices. And members of Congress, in both parties, have been unwilling to take them on. I am not. We should be taking real steps to lower the cost of prescription drugs. If elected, I will fight to immediately allow the federal government to negotiate with drug companies to get a lower price on medications for people on Medicare. Buying drugs in bulk will almost immediately bring down costs, benefiting both the consumer and the taxpayer. The Veterans Administration is currently allowed to buy bulk drugs to keep costs down for veteran care. Congress could allow Medicare to do the same, immediately benefitting the 57 million Americans on Medicare, including more than 71,000 residents here in our district. People recognize that most pharmaceutical companies are for-profit companies that require significant upfront funding to develop life-saving drugs. We all want the United States to continue to be the world leader in developing new cures and treatments, but since lives are at stake, there must be more checks and balances on the pharmaceutical industry’s predatory price increases. For too long, big pharmaceutical firms have bought influence through campaign donations and politicians have looked the other way as prescription drug prices have skyrocketed. I won’t be accepting a dime from this industry, or any corporate PAC, in my campaign. And if elected, I will pledge to fight for increased checks and balances on the pharmaceutical industry, to ensure that price increases support research, instead of driving profit. Combating The Opioid Epidemic If elected, I will push for national comprehensive legislation that addresses the opioid crisis by curbing the supply of opioids and provide substantially greater support for treatment. I will be a vocal champion in Congress to bring drug companies to account if they engage in predatory and misleading practices that contribute to this national epidemic. It’s no secret we have a national emergency going on with opioid addiction, which today is the leading cause of death for Americans under 50. In Michigan, opioid overdoses now claim more lives than car accidents, including hundreds of deaths each year in communities here in our district. It is the responsibility of our elected officials to address the opioid epidemic head on and take real action. In addition to pushing for real federal action, if elected I would use my position as a member of Congress to bring the stakeholders of our communities together — from high schools, firefighters, police and first responders, community coalitions, treatment programs, nonprofits and hospitals — to draft a community action plan that tackles this issue at home. I have already begun meeting with community members to learn all that I can about how we are fighting this epidemic here in our district. Pharmaceutical companies have a vested interest in keeping profits sky-high, and we cannot be complacent — this is a fight we must address head-on. Investing In Education I believe that all children deserve access to a high-quality education that will allow them to compete in the 21st century economy — both the practical skills and the critical thinking they need to succeed. If elected, I will fight for common-sense measures that support funding for science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) education, improve access to the skills training necessary to secure the well-paid jobs here in Michigan, and make higher education affordable for everyone who pursues it. I believe our public schools will determine the future of our state. From Lansing to Rochester, public schools are the anchor of our communities and as they go, so goes the future of our towns and cities. Thriving public schools require skilled, committed teachers, and I am committed to making sure that they get the respect and support they have earned. I believe educational innovation is important, especially in underserved communities, and I support communities having choices, including magnet schools and public charter schools. But I have strong concerns that private, for-profit charter schools may put profit-making at odds with educating Michigan’s children. Regardless of the school, I believe that it is essential for our state to have robust standards across the board. However, any alternative option must apply equal standards and include public accountability for taxpayers’ dollars that gives parents confidence in the quality of the education their children receive. Furthermore, such alternatives cannot come at the expense of ensuring that quality schools exist in each of our district’s neighborhoods. I believe our education system should work from the bottom up, from early childhood education to skilled trade programs, so that we’re providing the broad set of skills needed for our children to succeed. College shouldn’t be considered a luxury, or a requirement for success, and should be affordable for those who are interested. We need more options — more certification programs and college apprenticeship programs that are paired with the specific job opportunities available right now in our state — to ensure that we are educating and training our young people to contribute to growing Michigan’s economy. I believe that hard-working college graduates should get a fair shot at the American dream. However, the reality is that many students finish college saddled with crushing debt. I am committed to making higher education more affordable and more accessible to our district’s young people. If elected, I will fight to strengthen federal Pell grants, expand federal funds for school-to-work programs so that students know that they have a job waiting for them when they graduate, strengthen career and technical education, and cap the student loan interest rates to reduce the debt on graduating students, to ensure that students are getting a fair shake. Growing Economic Opportunity In Michigan Growing economic opportunity begins by investing in talent in our communities. We must train the next generation to take on roles in Michigan’s 21st century economy by connecting our workforce to the training that will prepare them for the trades, advanced manufacturing, technical, and cyber jobs of the future. Michigan has always been a place where things are designed and built. Our state has an amazing history of innovation, from the creation of the modern automobile to the invention of penicillin. But the economy is evolving in our state and we need to face forward and change with it. For our communities to thrive, we must be serious and strategic about growing economic opportunity here in Michigan. That starts with investing in education, connecting our talented young people with opportunities in our businesses, and ensuring that our entrepreneurs and small business owners are able to grow by hiring talent directly from our communities. Across our district, I hear from businesses big and small that they have trouble finding the local talent they need to compete. Instead, our companies are turning to out-of-state talent to fill their critical openings, particularly in IT, cyber-security, coding, and health care. At the same time, I am constantly meeting people who are unsure of the educational path they should pursue to prepare them for well-paid careers, and fear taking on too much student debt with the promise of a job in their field. I believe we need to get employers and educators together in one room, on an annual basis, to conduct a Michigan workforce planning summit that matches our business’s demands for talent with our great young people. If we have vacancies in fields like IT, we must stand-up sustainable job training programs at our community colleges that teach part time and train part time to fill vacancies in that in-demand field. Instead of our businesses spending money to hire out of state or out of the country, they should have the option to partner with the community high schools and colleges to train their own pipeline of talent. Investing In Our Infrastructure Michigan’s infrastructure is at near crisis levels and in serious need of investment. We all know the challenges, and we have the skilled workforce in our state ready to rebuild the roads, bridges, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure that our economy depends on. Investing in our infrastructure will attract investment to our state — improving our economic competitiveness — and improve the safety and security of Michiganders. The time for tackling this issue is now, and I hope this Congress will take up a significant, meaningful, and generous federal infrastructure package that has an immediate impact in our state and in our district. Promises of public-private partnerships are not a substitute for a truly generous federal package that addresses the generational issues we have with our infrastructure. Thanks to the grit of hardworking Michiganders, we’ve been steadily fighting our way back since the last financial crisis. Now more than ever, our roads, bridges, and infrastructure should attract rather than deter new businesses. We should think bigger about attracting companies to put their roots here. By investing in our towns and updating infrastructure, we’ll create good jobs and a solid foundation for growth. Of special note is the importance of investing in our water infrastructure. After the Flint water crisis, communities across the state have been testing their water and finding disturbing results. Some have been trying to upgrade their water systems, but, without help from the state or federal government, have been passing often dramatic price increases onto consumers. While the potholes in our roads are the most visible symptom in our under-funding of infrastructure, our water systems pose a growing risk to the health of our kids and communities. As the Great Lakes state, we must do more to ensure our communities have safe, regular, and affordable drinking water. That comes from a significant infrastructure package from Congress that funds rapid work on our most pressing water systems. Ensuring Retirement Security If you work hard your whole life, you deserve a dignified retirement. Social Security and Medicare are a promise — one that seniors have paid into through a lifetime of hard work. Protecting these programs is a critical way to keep faith with retirees, and those planning for retirement. Safeguarding the economic security of retirees by defending these programs and bringing the costs of prescription drugs down will be a top priority for me, if elected. Michiganders pay their fair share towards Medicare and Social Security. Hundreds of thousands of people across our state rely on a responsible government to preserve and protect their benefits. While I wholeheartedly support common-sense approaches to improve efficiency and reduce administrative costs for Medicare, politicians should not be looking to balance the federal budget on the backs of seniors. Cuts to Medicare and Social Security benefits would fundamentally break faith with our seniors. As a debate about “entitlement reform” looms in Washington, it is essential that these programs are safeguarded and defended. Our seniors have earned it. As the cost of living continues to rise retirees depend more than ever on the pensions they earned during their careers to maintain their retirement security. We simply cannot accept a roll back of this critical source of income for our seniors. I strongly believe that we need to prioritize and determine the best way to protect the solvency of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and at risk plans. Fighting For Campaign Finance Reform I believe our campaign finance system is broken and largely responsible for the polarization and dysfunction in our politics today. Much of this can be traced back to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which allowed corporate special interest money to flood into our democratic system and drown out the voice of voters in our own elections. For these reasons, I have made a commitment to not accept corporate PAC money during this campaign. If elected, I promise I will fight to reform our campaign finance laws, supporting policies that would increase transparency and end unlimited spending in our politics, to ensure that the voices of our citizens are heard. I support measures that would hold candidates and donors — including my own — accountable through clearly defined fundraising disclosures, deadlines, and penalties. Voters deserve to know who is funding their elected officials. Fiscal Responsibility And Government Crafting a budget for the federal government is one of the most fundamental duties of the U.S. Congress. Just like a family’s budget, the federal budget is a reflection of our national values and priorities. And just like a family budget, we must identify the waste to cut in order to spend on the things that are most important to us. I believe we need to rigorously cut waste and excess, while simultaneously making smart investments in health care, education, support for small businesses, and improvements to our infrastructure. I believe that a core tenet of being an elected official is to be upfront about spending decisions, to explain both the benefits and the cuts. For too long, politicians haven’t played it straight. Solving our country’s debt and deficit issues starts with an efficient and effective government. We need to get rid of government waste, fraud, and abuse. Fiscal responsibility defines my approach to the U.S. federal budget, which is a point of real difference between myself and our representative, Rep. Mike Bishop. For far too long politicians in Washington have taken a harried, stop-gap approach to budgeting, funding the federal government through short continuing resolutions, leaving federal agencies without the necessary tools to efficiently plan their budgets. Unable to compromise and have an honest conversation about budgetary tradeoffs, our elected representatives in Congress have forced multiple government shutdowns in the last decade. I was serving in the Pentagon during the thirteen-day Government shutdown in 2013, a decision that cost the U.S. economy an estimated $20 billion. It is political brinkmanship at its most cynical and I believe it must end. I believe that it is the responsibility of our elected leaders to be candid about how legislative measures will impact their constituents. The tax bill that was drafted by Rep. Mike Bishop and signed by the President in December 2017 permanently slashed taxes for corporations and the richest Americans, while adding more than a trillion dollars to our national debt. In my mind, that’s the definition of fiscal irresponsibility – giving away permanent tax breaks to corporations without being clear what vital programs will be cut to pay the bill. We should not balance the federal budget on the backs of Middle Class families, seniors, students, or veterans — and the public should be informed about how these new bills will be paid. Strengthening America’s National Security The United States plays a unique and vital role in the world. Keeping Americans safe at home and abroad starts with a strong defense, but military power alone is not an effective strategy in a world of increasingly globalized and networked challenges. The United States must be ready to confront both existing international challenges and new threats, from terrorism to sophisticated cyber-attacks. To do so, the United States must make investments in its military, intelligence, and diplomatic power – and continue to work with allies and partners around the globe – to confront common challenges. If elected, I will bring my expertise on national security and experience in three federal agencies to the halls of Congress, in order to provide a check on the actions of this Administration. I served for fourteen years in the intelligence and defense communities working on some of our country’s most critical national security matters, including U.S.-Russia relations, the counter-ISIS campaign, and the U.S. relationship with NATO. I regularly briefed members of Congress on defense matters. I have seen the potential impact individual members of Congress can have in holding federal agencies accountable by asking tough questions, and if elected, I intend to bring my expertise to Congress to ensure our government is using its diplomatic and military power to advance U.S. interests in the world. I will also fight to bring defense jobs back to Michigan — something we have hemorrhaged over the last decade — to strengthen the economies of our local communities. Providing For Our Veterans My family is a service family. My husband is an Apache pilot and served for thirty years in the Army, retiring as a Colonel. My grandfather was awarded the Silver Star for his service at Normandy, during World War Two. My father-in-law served for twenty years in the Air Force, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. Today, my two stepdaughters are both serving in their own right: one is an active duty Army officer and the other is a physician at a VA hospital. For me, providing world-class care and support to our nation’s veterans is not an abstract policy question – it affects my life and that of my family. If elected, it would be one of my top priorities. Less than one percent of the population serves in our nation’s armed forces. Given the sacrifices that our veterans have made, our government must ensure that when veterans return to civilian life they are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve — not just given lip service by politicians. It should be the responsibility of Congress to ensure that veteran medical care is delivered efficiently and in a cost-effective manner. While we have made strides in veteran care, there is far more to do to — particularly in ensuring that veterans living with serious injuries are provided world class, lifetime care. We must also do more to ensure that returning veterans are given opportunities to successfully reintegrate, through more support for education, apprenticeship, and job training. Programs like Helmets to Hardhats, which many in our communities participate in, provide win-win solutions to support our veterans and connect them with skill development and well-paid careers. Preserving Our Environment A threat to our environment is a threat to our security and a threat to our way of life. I do not believe that a strong economy and a clean environment are mutually exclusive. In fact, in Michigan, they are intrinsically linked. After all, if you can’t sustain your business because our lakes and rivers have become polluted, that’s a threat to your economic security. If you and your family don’t have access to clean drinking water, that’s a threat to your family’s health and well being. And if polluters continue to write the rules and buy votes from our representatives, that’s a threat to the future of our state — and the environment we will pass down to our kids. Here in Michigan, we not only cherish our beautiful natural resources, but we depend on them to keep our families healthy and our economy strong. If elected, I will make protecting our environment — and the businesses that depend on them — a top priority, since over 525,000 jobs in our state are tied to the Great Lakes. I will be a vocal champion for Michigan moving to the frontier of the “green-economy,” helping to accelerate wind and solar jobs in our state. Since Michigan has always been a leader in advanced manufacturing, we should be leading the pack in the development of renewable energy technologies, creating a new generation of high-skill, well-paid jobs here in Michigan. As protecting our state’s natural resources is a priority, appropriate oversight is required to ensure public works projects, current and future pipeline projects, and infrastructure development are conducted with the safety and preservation of our communities in mind. Unlike our current Representative, I am strongly against any proposal that would allow drilling in the Great Lakes. Line 5 poses an undeniable threat to our Great Lakes. I believe pipelines that run under our Great Lakes should not operate unless they pass independent, third-party safety standards. The impact of climate change is being felt nationally, and can be seen here in Michigan. I believe climate change is an issue that must be taken seriously, and prudent planning should be undertaken to prepare for and mitigate its negative impacts. During my time at the Pentagon, my team participated in the first ever climate change survey which studied how rising sea-levels, increased temperatures, and a higher frequency of superstorms could impact our military bases. We must be realistic about our changing climate and prepare our state’s economy, communities, and environment for the impact of climate change — and get serious about how to stop it. Defending Our Freedoms And Advancing Equality I believe that every Michigander, no matter who they are, where they come from, how they identify, who they worship, or who they love, deserves to be safe, healthy and thrive in their community. I have spent my life working to keep Americans safe, to defend the rights that are promised to each of us in our founding documents – and that’s a fight I’ll continue in Congress. Doing one’s duty as a public servant means defending equal rights, but also ensuring equal opportunity – when it comes to access to quality schools, equitable employment opportunities, dependable and affordable healthcare, safety, and security. FIGHTING FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS When women succeed, families succeed, and communities succeed. While we have made great strides as a society, we must do more to ensure women have every opportunity to chart their own paths, rise up in their careers, and provide for their families. Women deserve equal pay for equal work, and there is far more to do to ensure all women are treated equally in the workplace. The United States lags far behind other nations with regards to access to maternity care and paid family leave, which helps women and families stay healthy and get ahead. I believe that women should make their own personal decisions about their reproductive health, and that politicians should not tell women what to do with their bodies. The national conversation regarding sexual harassment is long overdue. For far too long, women have been unable to come forward to report sexual misconduct due to a hostile work climate, or because of policies that make reporting difficult or detrimental. Workplaces and institutions in every sector must have robust, transparent, and consistent processes for handling misconduct, and offenders must be held accountable for their actions. This includes members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. DEFENDING LGBTQ RIGHTS Members of the LGBTQ community deserve to have full and equal protection under the law. There have been important advances in LGBTQ equality in my lifetime, but that progress must be defended. I have always been a strong supporter of equality for the LGBTQ community, including marriage equality. It is a deeply personal issue for me: my mother came out in the 1980’s and was in a committed same-sex relationship prior to her passing away. From equality in the workplace, to access to critical healthcare services, LGBTQ Michiganders deserve equal rights and opportunities. I was serving in the Pentagon when the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was repealed, an action I strongly supported. No service member who meets the requirements for service should be turned away based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, including transgender service members who are currently serving on the frontline. I am proud to have the endorsement of Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest civil rights organization working for equality on behalf of LGBTQ Americans. ADVANCING EQUALITY FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR It’s time that our representatives in Congress truly put the public first – and that means fighting to break down the barriers that still hold Michiganders back. We have a long way to go to address the racial inequities in economic security, education, housing, safety, employment, and our criminal justice system – and these issues must be at the center of an agenda to build a stronger economy that works for everyone, and a safer and fairer Michigan. My first job out of college was working for an organization that helped address educational disparities in marginalized communities. In Congress, I will fight to ensure every child is given the chance to succeed, level the playing field in our criminal justice system, protect and expand voting rights, and promote fair hiring practices that give Michiganders a second chance to thrive and contribute in their communities. Passing Common Sense Gun Legislation I believe in and support the Second Amendment. I believe that individuals across our district, state, and country who operate guns with care and safety should be allowed to exercise the right to do so. I grew up in a gun-owning family, and when I served as an intelligence officer alongside the military in Iraq, I was trained on and carried a Glock 17 handgun and an M-4 semi-automatic weapon. My husband, who served in the U.S. Army for 30 years, carried a weapon every day he was deployed. But I also believe we need to be honest that gun violence presents a serious national security and public health issue. And it is precisely because of my experience both operating firearms and working in national security that I believe we must pass common-sense gun safety legislation. We must prohibit terrorists, the mentally ill, and domestic abusers from obtaining guns. And as an Army wife, I do not believe ordinary citizens should be able to easily obtain weapons or materiel that allow them to outgun their local police or military. Mass shootings and gun violence are a threat to the security of our families, our communities, and our schools. No parent should fear for their child’s safety after dropping them off for class. I believe the only person who should carry a weapon in a school is a trained, security professional, hired by the school to be there. We’ve seen longstanding inaction from our representatives in Congress to move forward on common-sense legislation. Failing to do all we can to protect our children is a failure to put the public first – and in my view, a dereliction of duty to address one of the nation’s pressing security issues. Michigan’s Ballot Initiative On Marijuana Michiganders will likely take up the question of legalizing recreational use of marijuana in November. I have listened to folks in the district — veterans, parents, the elderly, and law enforcement officers — to understand the range of views about this issue. I strongly believe that for this matter, voters should be able to decide. Too often the priorities of voters are discounted by legislators who claim they are voting in our name. Opening up marijuana for recreational use is a big decision for our state, and voters should have their voice heard. I have seen firsthand how medical marijuana can help people who are dealing with long-term chronic conditions. I support the use of medical marijuana, which was approved by Michigan voters in 2008. We must ensure the implementation process continues in a manner that is transparent and accessible for all folks in need. I also support the decriminalization of marijuana, a step that some of our communities have already pursued. Every dollar used to prosecute marijuana offenses is a law enforcement dollar that isn’t being used for more pressing issues. By removing marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, we can reduce the backlog of non-violent, marijuana-related incarcerations — and streamline our criminal justice system for the better. Like a lot of folks, I am reviewing the impact of the legalization of recreational marijuana on the local economy, public safety, and healthcare in states like Washington and Colorado, to understand if, on balance, it would be a net positive for our communities here in Michigan. I’m keeping an open mind, and welcome the opportunity to meet with groups on all sides of this issue to better inform my thinking.	”
—Elissa Slotkin’s campaign website (2018)

Campaign advertisements

The following is an example of an ad from Slotkin's 2018 election campaign.

"Service" Slotkin campaign ad released August 28, 2018

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Elissa Slotkin campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. Senate Michigan	Won general	$51,937,060	$51,654,345
2022	U.S. House Michigan District 7	Won general	$9,974,584	$11,412,394
2020	U.S. House Michigan District 8	Won general	$9,135,390	$7,587,944
2018	U.S. House Michigan District 8	Won general	$7,467,573	$7,448,338
Grand total			$78,514,607	$78,103,021
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Notable candidate endorsements by Elissa Slotkin

Endorsee	Election	Stage	Outcome
Mikie Sherrill  source  (D)	Governor of New Jersey (2025)	Primary	Advanced in Primary
Kali Stevens  source  (Nonpartisan)	Grand Ledge Public Schools, At-large (2024)	General	–
Kamala D. Harris  source  (D, Working Families Party)	President of the United States (2024)	Primary	Lost General
Joe Biden  source  (D, Working Families Party)	President of the United States (2020)	Primary	Won General

Noteworthy events

Democratic response to President Donald Trump's (R) address to joint session of Congress (2025)

See also: Donald Trump's address to joint session of Congress (March 4, 2025)

U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) delivered the Democratic Party's response to President Donald Trump's (R) 2025 address to a joint session of Congress. The following is the text of her address:

“

Hi everyone. I’m Elissa Slotkin. I’m honored to have the opportunity to speak tonight. It’s late — so I promise to be a lot shorter than what you just watched. I won’t take it personally if you’ve never heard of me. I’m the new senator from the great state of Michigan, where I grew up. I’ve been in public service my entire life, because I happened to be in New York City on 9/11 when the twin towers came down. Before the smoke cleared, I knew I wanted a life in national security. I was recruited by the CIA and did three tours in Iraq, alongside the military. In between, I worked at the White House under President Bush and President Obama, two very different leaders who both believed that America is exceptional. You can find that same sense of patriotism here in Wyandotte, Michigan, where I am tonight. It’s a working-class town just south of Detroit. President Trump and I both won here in November. It might not seem like it, but plenty of places like this still exist all across the United States – places where people believe that if you work hard, and play by the rules, you should do well and your kids do better. It reminds me of how I grew up. My dad was a lifelong Republican, my mom a lifelong Democrat. But it was never a big deal. Because we had shared values that were bigger than any one party. We just went through another fraught election season. Americans made it clear that prices are too high and that government needs to be more responsive to their needs. America wants change. But there is a responsible way to make change, and a reckless way. And, we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country, and as a democracy. So that’s what I’m going to lay out tonight. Because whether you’re in Wyandotte or Wichita, most Americans share three core beliefs: That the Middle Class is the engine of our country. That strong national security protects us from harm. And that our democracy, no matter how messy, is unparalleled and worth fighting for. Let’s start with the economy. Michigan literally invented the Middle Class: the revolutionary idea that you could work at an auto plant and afford the car you were building. That’s the American Dream. And in order to expand and protect the Middle Class, we have to do a few, basic things: We need to bring down the price of things we spend the most money on: Groceries. Housing. Healthcare. Your car. We need to make more things in America with good-paying, union jobs — and bring our supply chains back home from places like China. We need to give American businesses the certainty they need to invest and create the jobs of the future. And we need a tax system that’s fair for people who don’t happen to make a billion dollars. Look, President Trump talked a big game on the economy, but it’s always important to read the fine print. So: do his plans actually help Americans get ahead? Not even close. President Trump is trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends. He’s on the hunt to find trillions of dollars to pass along to the wealthiest in America. And to do that, he’s going to make you pay in every part of your life. Grocery and home prices are going up, not down — and he hasn’t laid out a credible plan to deal with either. His tariffs on allies like Canada will raise prices on energy, lumber, cars — and start a trade war that will hurt manufacturing and farmers. Your premiums and prescriptions will cost more because the math on his proposals doesn’t work without going after your health care. Meanwhile, for those keeping score, the national debt is going up, not down. And if he’s not careful, he could walk us right into a recession. And one more thing: In order to pay for his plan, he could very well come after your retirement – the Social Security, Medicare, and VA benefits you worked your whole life to earn. The President claims he won’t, but Elon Musk just called Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.” While we’re on the subject of Elon Musk, is there anyone in America who is comfortable with him and his gang of 20-year-olds using their own computer servers to poke through your tax returns, your health information, and your bank accounts? No oversight. No protections against cyber-attack. No guardrails on what they do with your private data. We need more efficient government. You want to cut waste, I’ll help you do it. But change doesn’t need to be chaotic or make us less safe. The mindless firing of people who work to protect our nuclear weapons, keep our planes from crashing, and conduct the research that finds the cure for cancer — only to re-hire them two days later? No CEO in America could do that without being summarily fired. OK, so we’ve talked about our economic security. How about national security? Let’s start with the border. As someone who spent my whole career protecting our homeland, every country deserves to know who and what is coming across its border. Period. Democrats and Republicans should all be for that. But securing the border without actually fixing our broken immigration system is dealing with the symptom not the disease. America is a nation of immigrants. We need a functional system, keyed to the needs of our economy, that allows vetted people to come and work here legally. So I look forward to the President’s plan on that. Because here’s the thing: Today’s world is deeply interconnected. Migration, cyber threats, AI, environmental destruction, terrorism — one nation cannot face these issues alone. We need friends in all corners — and our safety depends on it. President Trump loves to promise “peace through strength.” That’s actually a line he stole from Ronald Reagan. But let me tell you, after the spectacle that just took place in the Oval Office last week, Reagan must be rolling over in his grave. We all want an end to the war in Ukraine, but Reagan understood that true strength required America to combine our military and economic might with moral clarity. And that scene in the Oval Office wasn’t just a bad episode of reality TV. It summed up Trump’s whole approach to the world. He believes in cozying up to dictators like Vladimir Putin and kicking our friends, like Canada, in the teeth. He sees American leadership as merely a series of real estate transactions. As a Cold War kid, I’m thankful it was Reagan and not Trump in office in the 1980s. Trump would have lost us the Cold War. Donald Trump’s actions suggest that, in his heart, he doesn’t believe we are an exceptional nation. He clearly doesn’t think we should lead the world. Look, America’s not perfect. But I stand with most Americans who believe we are still exceptional. Unparalleled. And I would rather have American leadership over Chinese or Russian leadership any day of the week. Because for generations, America has offered something better. Our security and our prosperity, yes. But our democracy, our very system of government, has been the aspiration of the world. And right now, it’s at risk. It’s at risk when a president decides he can pick and choose what rules he wants to follow, when he ignores court orders or the Constitution itself, or when elected leaders stand idly by and just let it happen. But it’s also at risk when the President pits Americans against each other, when he demonizes those who are different, and tells certain people they shouldn’t be included. Because America is not just a patch of land between two oceans. We are more than that. Generations have fought and died to secure the fundamental rights that define us. Those rights and the fight for them make us who we are. We are a nation of strivers. Risk-takers. Innovators. And we are never satisfied. That is America’s superpower. And look, I’ve lived and worked in many countries. I’ve seen democracies flicker out. I’ve seen what life is like when a government is rigged. You can’t open a business without paying off a corrupt official. You can’t criticize the guys in charge without getting a knock at the door in the middle of the night. So as much as we need to make our government more responsive to our lives today, don’t for one moment fool yourself that democracy isn’t precious and worth saving. But how do we actually do that? I know a lot of you have been asking that question. First, don’t tune out. It’s easy to be exhausted, but America needs you now more than ever. If previous generations had not fought for democracy, where would we be today? Second, hold your elected officials, including me, accountable. Watch how they’re voting. Go to town halls and demand they take action. That’s as American as apple pie. Three, organize. Pick just one issue you’re passionate about — and engage. And doom scrolling doesn’t count. Join a group that cares about your issue, and act. And if you can’t find one, start one. Some of the most important movements in our history have come from the bottom up. In closing, we all know that our country is going through something right now. We’re not sure what the next day is going to hold, let alone the next decade. But this isn’t the first time we’ve experienced significant and tumultuous change as a country. I’m a student of history, and we’ve gone through periods of political instability before. And ultimately, we’ve chosen to keep changing this country for the better. But every single time, we’ve only gotten through those moments because of two things: Engaged citizens and principled leaders. Engaged citizens who do a little bit more than they’re used to doing to fight for the things they care about. And principled leaders who are ready to receive the ball and do something about it. So thank you tonight for caring about your country. Just by watching, you qualify as engaged citizens. And I promise that I, and my fellow Democrats, will do everything in our power to be the principled leaders that you deserve. Goodnight everyone.

”

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U.S. Senate Michigan

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U.S. Senate Michigan

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Debbie Stabenow (D)	U.S. Senate Michigan 2025-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by Tim Walberg (R)	U.S. House Michigan District 7 2023-2025	Succeeded by Tom Barrett (R)
Preceded by Mike Bishop (R)	U.S. House Michigan District 8 2019-2023	Succeeded by Dan Kildee (D)

[show]

Michigan's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Gary Peters (D)

Elissa Slotkin (D)

Representatives

District 1

Jack Bergman (R)

District 2

John Moolenaar (R)

District 3

Hillary Scholten (D)

District 4

Bill Huizenga (R)

District 5

Tim Walberg (R)

District 6

Debbie Dingell (D)

District 7

Tom Barrett (R)

District 8

Kristen Rivet (D)

District 9

Lisa McClain (R)

District 10

John James (R)

District 11

Haley Stevens (D)

District 12

Rashida Tlaib (D)

District 13

Shri Thanedar (D)

Democratic Party (8)

Republican Party (7)