Michigan voters to choose party candidates for crucial Senate race in battleground state

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan voters could play a major role in choosing who the next president will be — and they could also determine which major party controls Congress in 2025. Next week’s party primaries over an open U.S. Senate seat and two congressional races in the battleground state will set the stage for November.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin has the inside track for her party’s nomination to the Senate against a challenge from a television actor. Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and the financial backing of national Republicans in the race for his party’s nomination.

Slotkin and Rogers are looking to fill the seat long held by Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who announced in early 2023 she would not seek reelection. Democrats currently maintain a narrow margin in the Senate but are defending far more seats in this year’s elections.

The political drama in Michigan extends further down the ballot as well. Slotkin’s Senate bid puts a House seat up for grabs, one of two in Michigan that are expected to be competitive in November. With Republicans defending a narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, the outcomes of the Michigan contests could have national implications. And Michigan Republicans themselves are looking to regain control of the state House of Representatives lost in 2022.

Slotkin, a third-term U.S. representative from Holly, has positioned herself as the party’s front-runner with her fundraising prowess and endorsements. She last reported about $8.7 million in cash on hand in mid-July and announced earlier this year she plans to spend $8 million in advertising in the weeks leading up to the general election.

Her sole primary competitor, actor Hill Harper, best known for his role in the television show “The Good Doctor,” has raised considerably less than her more than $24 million.

Rogers, a former U.S. representative lured out of retirement, has Trump’s endorsement to stave off competitors, as well as the endorsement of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Other Republican competitors include former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash and physician Dr. Sherry O’Donnell. Businessman Sandy Pensler, who dropped his candidacy and endorsed Rogers at a July 20 rally with Trump, will also be on the ballot because he withdrew too late.

Michigan Republicans haven’t secured a Senate victory in Michigan since 1994.

Rogers is far behind Slotkin in fundraising, raising more than $5.3 million and sitting on about $2.5 million of cash, according to the latest campaign finance report. But national party groups have reserved millions in ad buys after the primary, ahead of the general election.

The race has mirrored many aspects of the U.S. presidential election. Slotkin has campaigned on protecting and expanding reproductive rights while Rogers has slammed the Biden administration for its handling of border security.

Slotkin, who is Jewish and has extensive foreign policy experience as a former CIA analyst and Defense Department official, has at times faced criticism for not being harder on Israel. Michigan has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation, and support from the community is critical in the state where nearly 100,000 people cast “uncommitted” ballots in February to protest President Joe Biden‘s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris’ team is attempting to change the White House narrative inherited from Biden and regain support from Arab American leaders in the Detroit area, especially in Dearborn, one of America’s only majority-Muslim cities. Slotkin has thrown her support behind Harris.

National attention will turn to Michigan as some of the most competitive congressional races in November could determine the makeup of the U.S. House as well as the Senate.

Slotkin’s foray into the Senate race opened her congressional seat in central Michigan. Both party candidates are unchallenged in their primaries for the swing district.

In Michigan’s 8th congressional district encompassing Flint and Saginaw, U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee’s retirement leaves the competitive seat open. The Democrat who has represented the area since 2013 has endorsed first-term state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet for the position. Also in the running are Pamela Pugh, state board of education president, and Matt Collier, the former mayor of Flint.

Paul Junge, a former TV anchor who lost by more than 10 percentage points to Kildee last year, is running on the GOP side. Also running are Mary Draves, a former chemical manufacturing executive at Dow Inc., and Anthony Hudson.

Detroit is likely to be without Black representation in Congress for a second consecutive term after a court ruled that a former state senator and popular candidate did not submit enough valid signatures in the 13th congressional district.

Detroit, which is nearly 80% Black, had maintained some Black representation in Congress for almost 70 years until 2023. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar faces two remaining primary challengers but holds a major cash advantage over Mary Waters, a former state lawmaker who has served on the Detroit City Council since 2021, and attorney Shakira Lynn Hawkins.

Michigan Republicans are looking to regain control of the state House of Representatives in November, with all 110 seats up for election. Democrats became the majority party in both chambers of the Legislature in 2022, spurred by redistricting and an abortion referendum on the ballot that same year. The Legislature passed numerous laws on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s agenda in the year following.

Early voting, new this year for Michigan thanks to a 2022 referendum, started for the August primary election on Saturday, July 27.

__

Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.