8-BALL

We don’t know if Congressman Mike Bishop (R-Rochester, Rochester Hills) is getting worried about challenger Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly), but between her pedigree and her first reported fundraising report, we sure would be if we were him. Slotkin, who had a stellar career in the CIA and Defense Department, including serving three tours of duty in Baghdad where she was a Middle East analyst for the CIA, and later was the Acting Secretary of Defense for Russia, Middle East, Europe and Africa, raised $460,939 between July 1 and September 30, compared to Bishop, who raised $365,616 in the same time period. Even more favorably for Slotkin, of the dollars raised, more than $433,000 came from individuals, while a majority of Bishop’s – $240,203 – came from political action committees, or PACs. While the district has been reliably Republican for years, The Cook Political Report, recently changed its projection from ‘likely Republican’ to ‘lean Republican.’ They point out the pluses for Slotkin, while noting she has just moved back to Michigan and has yet to registered to vote in the state as a potential liability.