U.S. Sen. Gary Peters joins Oakland County Dems backing Slotkin for Senate
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) endorsed U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) for Senate as she campaigned in Birmingham on Aug. 16, 2024. | Kyle Davidson
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) announced his support for U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s (D-Holly) Senate campaign on Friday, joining other high-profile Democrats in a push to retain Michigan’s open Senate seat.
Peters, alongside Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham), praised Slotkin’s record in Congress as well as her support for Oxford following the 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School.
While Slotkin would represent everyone in the state, Coulter shared his pride in the three elected leaders having roots in Oakland County.
“Oakland County has a way of electing leaders that respond in Michigan, and that is and for lack of a better phrase, work horses versus show horses. They get shit done, as the governor would say,” Coulter said.
Slotkin is set to face former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake) in November as both seek to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing), who has also thrown her support behind Slotkin.
“One thing about Debbie is that she — and all of you who know her — she is tenacious. When she is on something, she does not let go. She keeps fighting through thick and thin to get things done and her long career of success will always be remembered. That means we’re going to have a big void now in the United States Senate,” Peters said.
“That means we really have to have a very special person that can fill that void, someone who is also tenacious, someone who also knows how to get things done, someone who knows how to find common ground together,’ Peters said before sharing his endorsement of Slotkin.
Peters noted Slotkin’s support for the Inflation Reduction Act in light of the recent announcement of lower negotiated prices for multiple drugs, which was facilitated through the law.
“Let’s put this in framework. When we’re talking about lowering prescription costs to people and to seniors, remember, every single Republican voted against it,” Peters said.
He also praised Slotkin’s experience in national security during the administrations of Republican President George W. Bush and Democratic President Barack Obama. Slotkin previously worked as a Middle East Analyst for the CIA and in various defense and intelligence roles in the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the State Department.
“That’s the kind of expertise that we need at a time of uncertainty. When it comes to foreign affairs and conflict around the world, having that steady hand that Elissa Slotkin has in the United States Senate will be absolutely invaluable,” Peters said.
He also noted Slotkin’s role in championing the PACT Act, which expands U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances.
Peters also took aim at Rogers, noting they had served together in the Michigan Senate and echoed earlier criticisms from Stevens that Rogers moved to Florida after finishing his term in the U.S. House.
“Mike Rogers, where the heck have you been? You haven’t been in Michigan. We want people who are here, who have been fighting, people like Elissa Slotkin, who rolls up her sleeves and constantly goes to work,” Peters said.
The Rogers campaign has repeatedly maintained that Rogers is residing in Michigan, sending cease and desist letters to multiple local televisions stations over a campaign ad sponsored by Slotkin’s campaign stating the ad includes “false and misleading claims” about Rogers.
In the letter, Rogers counsel called the ad’s statement that Rogers “left office and left Michigan for good,” saying Rogers is a tax-paying Michigan resident and registered to vote in White Lake Charter Twp. in Oakland County.
After Rogers retired from Congress in 2015, he went into the private sector as a cyber security adviser and businessman, and eventually moved into a 4,751-square-foot home in Cape Coral, Florida, valued at $1.7 million.
That home, which he still owns, was his official residence until his decision to run for U.S. Senate last year. He and his wife then purchased a one-bedroom, 728-square-foot home in White Lake Township, although that home was demolished so a new one could be built in its place, the construction of which remains ongoing. As of Aug. 10, 2024, the new home’s garage was unfinished, with construction equipment still visible in the yard.
Peters acknowledged the race between Slotkin and Rogers is a close one, saying that all eyes would be on Michigan during the presidential campaign and in the push to win a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate.
“I think it’s safe to say you cannot be President of the United States of America if you do not win Michigan, that’s how important it is. We will not have the majority in the United States Senate if we do not elect Elissa Slotkin,” Peters said.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated Michigan’s open Senate seat as a “toss up” for the upcoming election.
With the primary behind her, Slotkin encouraged voters who didn’t vote for her the first time, to vote for her the second time in November. She outlined her campaign’s guiding principles, including support for the middle class, efforts to support domestic manufacturing and protecting children from threats like gun violence, mental health issues, opioid and fentanyl addiction, and extreme weather from Climate Change.
“I focus on real threats, not the not-real threats like books,” Slotkin said in a jab at Republican-led efforts to ban books from libraries, many of which contain LGBTQ+ content, and are written people of color or feature characters of color.
Slotkin also called on Democrats to go on the offense to protect democracy and their rights.
“We cannot be complacent. We need to work and we need to have our own strategic plans. We need to have our own court cases, our own 50 state strategies,” Slotkin said, pointing to Project 2025, a list of far-right policy proposals assembled by the conservative Heritage Foundation that includes plans for restricting pregnancy and abortion, dismantling the FBI and Departments of Homeland Security and Education, and gutting climate regulations.
“Where’s our Project 2025? What are we going to do,” Slotkin said. “I want to be part of a new group, a new crop, that comes into the Senate that joins the fight on going on offense on protecting our rights and our democracy.”
Earlier this week, Slotkin’s campaign faced backlash after an ad from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) which featured a former AARP Michigan state volunteer leader attacking Rogers.
AARP Michigan later called the ad “misleading,” with AARP Michigan State Director Paula D. Cunningham releasing a statement emphasizing the organization’s non-partisan status.
“AARP never endorses or gives money to candidates. Ever. Nor do we direct candidates, parties or PACs to use our name in ads, fundraising emails or other campaign efforts,” Cunningham said.
Rogers and the National Republican Senatorial Committee also slammed the ad for saying Rogers’ wife, Kristi Rogers’ firm, Principal to Principal, lobbies on behalf of the drug industry.
“In Michigan we discuss the issues that matter to families and work to provide solutions. We don’t attack the family members of our political opponents’ for political gain. It’s disappointing that Slotkin and her allies would sink to attacking my wife with baseless lies,” former Rep. Rogers said in a post to X. “Slotkin should call on the DSCC to pull down this ad immediately.”
Slotkin told reporters that because the ad was created by an outside group, she is legally prohibited from discussing it with them.
“We didn’t know the ad was being made, so we’ve had no contact on that ad at all,” she said.
Peters, who chairs the DSCC, emphasized that the man in the ad was speaking as an individual, but noted it was an independent expenditure that operates completely separately from the committee, and separately from his work as chair.
Michigan Advance Senior Reporter Jon King contributed to this story.
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