The Washington Post’s Colby Itkowitz takes a look at the potential Democratic field to succeed retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow in Michigan and relays some new details, including that unnamed party insiders anticipate that Rep. Elissa Slotkin will run "in the near future." A Slotkin campaign would mean an open seat race for her 7th Congressional District, a constituency in the Lansing area and northwestern Detroit exurbs that Biden took by a tiny 49.4-48.9 margin.
A Slotkin Senate bid could make it considerably less likely that state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who is close to the congresswoman, gets in as well: McMorrow herself didn’t rule anything out when asked by the Michigan Advance’s Andrew Roth, but she said of her current role, “I am right where I need to be right now.” Another Democratic congresswoman, Haley Stevens, also spoke about the race for the first time and told the Post that her allies want her to run, but, "I’m not ready to say anything right now."
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A source, meanwhile, tells Itkowitz that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson "is taking a serious look" at the Senate race even though she didn’t seem particularly interested less than two weeks ago. Benson, when asked about the contest then, said, “My eyes are focused actually on 2024, not as a candidate, but as someone who will be working to protect the voice and the vote of every citizen in our state.” That statement, however, was not a definitive no.
Former Rep. Brenda Lawrence, who decided to retire last year, also said for the first time she might try to return to Congress by campaigning for the Senate. Lawrence said she wanted a “strong African American to run,” and may do it herself if a serious contender doesn’t emerge. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, who, like Lawrence, is Black, is considering, but he hasn’t announced a decision yet.
However, while 2018 gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed didn’t quite say no last week, the incoming Wayne County health department director made it clear to Roth he would pass on the race by saying, “This isn’t my race.” On the GOP side, former Lt. Gov. Brian Calley gave an indisputable no when he said, “There’s a 0.0% chance that I will even entertain running–for any office, actually, but especially one in Washington, D.C.”