TAKING IT TO THE STREETS

Democrat Elissa Slotkin, who is running to challenge incumbent Rep. Mike Bishop (R-Rochester/Rochester Hills), is making gains in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. On Thursday, March 8, Slotkin announced she would be hosting a “Snowboots on the Ground” event the following Saturday, at the Rochester Mills Beer, Co., in Rochester, in order to gain enough signatures to get her name on the ballot. The event was a show of Slotkin’s boldness to take her campaign to Bishop’s own backyard. Slotkin was bolstered the next day, March 9, when she sent out a link to a segment on the NBC Nightly News that featured first-time women candidates – featuring her and Republican Lena Epstein from the neighboring district, MI-11. CNN is also pointing to a shift in the 8th district from Republican-leaning district to a “toss up” district, which is a big deal for this conservative area. In addition to CNN, MSNBC, The Detroit News and Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight have called Slotikin’s campaign a race to watch this year. Sabato’s Crystal Ball, an assessment of congressional districts from the University of Virginia Center for Politics, also named Michigan’s 8th Congressional District as one going from “Likely Republican” to “Leans Republicans” as incumbents seem likely to face credible challengers.