DETROIT — U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, 48, first voted in Michigan in 2018. And it was her first time voting for herself as a candidate for Congress.
Democrats have branded Mike Rogers, his Republican challenger in this year's Senate race, a carpetbagger, given that he recently lived in Florida after retiring from Congress.
But as the race heats up in both polling and spending, Republicans believe questions about the Michigan connection could be overturned by Mr. Slotkin.
“Elissa Slotkin lied about being a small business owner, a farmer and where she lives,” Maggie Abboud, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told the newspaper. “The only thing the people of Michigan can expect from Slotkin is to lie about every aspect of her life.”
The feud between Slotkin and Rodgers has intensified over the past month. Slotkin himself acknowledged the race is close, saying polls show Kamala Harris is “below the surface” in Michigan.
Slotkin was called a carpetbagger when he first ran for Congress in 2018. Upon her return to Michigan, she announced plans to run for Congress.
Slotkin was born in New York in July 1976 before moving to a home in Holly, Michigan, where he currently resides.
After graduating from Cranbrook Preparatory School in suburban Detroit, Slotkin studied at Cornell University and then graduate school at Columbia University. From there she worked for the CIA, State Department, and Department of Defense. Her work in the national security field spanned George W. Bush to Barack Obama.
Slotkin left the administration in January 2017, days before Donald Trump became president.
In July of the same year, she announced her candidacy for Michigan's 8th Congressional District. But the following month, Ms. Slotkin continued to receive a homestead exemption for her Washington, D.C., condominium, but she stopped receiving the exemption after her partner criticized it.
These days, Slotkin received farm tax credits as recently as last month, even though he doesn't farm in Holly's home. Mr. Slotkin, who for years has described himself as a farmer and a friend of farmers, was turned over by the Michigan Department of Agriculture, which gave Mr. Rogers approval for 2024.
Slotkin's grandfather purchased the land in 1956 as a cattle farm. I mean, the tax credit was literally abolished, despite the fact that cows haven't been roaming around there since Jimmy Carter was president.
“She certainly paid property taxes in Washington, D.C., for years,” Rogers previously said when asked about the exemption. “She doesn't take credit for herself there. But she got here with the support of law enforcement, firefighters and schools.”
Slotkin saves about $2,700 a year in property taxes because of the agricultural zone.
The nationally watched Michigan Senate race could decide who controls the upper chamber of Congress. Despite its importance, Axios call Slotkin Rogers: “America’s Quietest Senate Race”
The battle is likely to intensify in the coming weeks as Mr. Rogers, a former FBI special agent, seeks to overcome a 4-1 funding disadvantage.
The Senate Leadership Fund, managed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, will donate $22.5 million to Rogers' cause in 2024, its first investment in Michigan. Another super PAC, the Great Lakes Conservative Fund, has pledged $8 million to support Rogers.
The Detroit Regional Chamber PAC supported Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, both Democrats, in their 2018 and 2020 races against John James. And he supported Slotkin in past House elections.
But this time, as the Senate race is heating up, Commissioner Sandy Barua says:“Slotkin or Rodgers? Either way, Michigan wins.”
Mr. Slotkin and Mr. Rogers are scheduled to debate on October 8th, and voting is on November 5th.
