ANN ARBOR, MI — Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin narrowly defeated Republican challenger Mike Rogers, dashing Republican hopes of winning Michigan's Senate seat for the first time since 1994.
Slotkin led with 48.6% of the vote, slightly ahead of Rogers' 48.3% with 99% of votes counted, the Associated Press reported.
Slotkin, who represents Michigan's 7th Congressional District, entered the race when four-term Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced her retirement.
Mr. Rogers, a former House Intelligence Committee chairman, had hoped to defy history and end 30 years of Democratic dominance in Michigan's Senate. The last Republican to win the Michigan Senate was Spencer Abraham, who defeated Democrat Bob Carr in 1994.
During the campaign, candidates debated hot-button issues that concern voters in the Wolverine State, including electric vehicle mandates, border and immigration policy, and taxes. Ultimately, Slotkin was able to overcome doubts about his agricultural background, and Rogers was able to secure important support from the Michigan Farm Bureau.
Although the race was close in the final stages, polling data had long shown Slotkin to be the favorite to win the seat.
Mr. Slotkin has successfully established himself as a moderate throughout his career in Congress, and he continued to play until midway through this term, pulling off a Hail Mary victory.
He set himself apart from other Democrats by claiming he pushed for stricter border regulations when it comes to illegal immigration.
In one campaign ad, she adopted a tough tone on the border, telling voters, “No one is proud of what's happening at our southern border. The responsibility lies with everyone in Washington.”
In another ad, the Democratic candidate turned the issue of electric vehicle mandates on its head, telling voters, “No one's going to tell you what to buy, and no one's going to mandate anything.”
These attempts to shift to the right led to numerous feuds with Rodgers' camp. refutes her moderate transformation.
Rogers, a former Michigan congresswoman, was cited for her ties to a controversial Chinese government-backed battery factory in Big Rapids, her questionable ties to the state she represents, and her questionable background as a farmer. , actively campaigned against Mr. Slotkin.
Slotkin receives farm tax credits for his rural Oakland County home, but he does not farm on the property, the newspaper said. The Slotkin campaign said the tax cuts were literally repealed.
But during two hours of televised debates, one in Grand Rapids and the other in Southfield, Mr. Rogers was unable to attack Slotkin for bringing up the tax credits.
Slotkin first voted in Michigan in 2018, when she returned from Washington, D.C., to run for Congress. But the carpetbagger attacks worked both ways. Slotkin branded Rodgers a “Florida guy.” Mr. Rogers lived in Florida for years after leaving Congress in 2015.
In the end, Slotkin maintained the lead he had held from the start.
