SHAKE IT OUT

Democrat Garlin Gilchrest, Michigan’s lieutenant governor, also announced he will not run for the open Senate seat, as did on-fire state Senator Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak, Birmingham, Huntington Woods, northwest Detroit). In an email, McMorrow wrote, “Now more than ever, it is important that we show the power of state legislatures and strong leadership at the local level. That’s why I’ll be focusing all of my attention on serving as the Michigan Senate Majority Whip, serving my constituents in my district, and not seeking the U.S. Senate nomination in 2024.” Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-Lansing), who announced in late February that she was all in for the seat, raised over $1.2 million the first day of her Senate campaign, broadcasting her power as a prodigious fundraiser to all challengers – Democrats and Republicans alike. She raised over $10 million in 2022, when she prevailed in the 7th House District race against Republican Tom Barrett, who may be once again considering the seat, now that she will be out. Michigan Board of Education President Pamela Pugh, a Democrat who was also the former chief public health advisor for Flint during the city’s water crisis, is considering running, as there are no African American women in the U.S. Senate, “and I think that voice needs to be heard.” Actor and Detroiter Hill Harper is allegedly thisclose to announcing his run for Senate, making rounds with union workers and meeting with the Genesee County Democratic Black Caucus. While Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel continue to be bandied about in political circles, as Punchbowl noted, Slotkin is increasingly showing an advantage among Democrats. “And she might be the most electable Democrat in a state like Michigan, which is still considered to be a battleground since former President Donald Trump won there in 2016.”