ENDORSEMENT BATTLES
Running for higher office isn’t only a money game – although that counts for a lot – it’s also a fight for endorsements, the seal of approval from a variety of groups which represent you, validating and guiding your decision of who to vote for. As primary season ramps up, endorsements for candidates running for the open Michigan Senate seat are flowing in, with Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-Lansing) feelin’ the love from such diverse groups as several of her fellow congressmen and women – including Haley Stevens (D-Oakland County), Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) Dan Kildee (D-Flint) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), along with state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Birmingham, Royal Oak), former Gov. James Blanchard and state Rep. Jasper Martus (D-Flushing), amongst many local lawmakers and 19 union leaders, from Michigan Education Association, Michigan Building Trades Council, the Michigan Pipe Trades Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Her campaign noted, “The 19 unions collectively represent more than 350,000 workers in the state.” She has also picked up the backing of the Detroit Faith Leaders group, which holds significant sway with Detroiters. Watch for her first campaign commercials to drop sometime in May.