Elissa Slotkin wins race for open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan

(FOX 2) - Democrat Elissa Slotkin will be Michigan’s newest U.S. Senator after winning the race for the open seat, keeping her party’s control of the must-win election as balance in the chamber hangs in the balance.

The Associated Press called the race, declaring Slotkin as the winner between her and Republican Mike Rogers by a .3 margin. She will take over a seat that was held by Democrat Debbie Stabenow for years.

With Michigan a key battleground state and Democrats playing defense in several races for the senate, Slotkin’s win was seen as vitally important if the party was to maintain a majority in the chamber. 

After three straight wins running for the U.S. House, Slotkin jumped into the senate race soon after Stabenow announced she would be stepping down in 2023. With name recognition across the state and a background in intelligence, she stormed out to an early lead as she ramped up her campaign for office.

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While Rogers managed to close the gap between the two candidates in the final months of the November election, he was unable to flip a seat that some Republicans believed was the party’s best chance to send a conservative lawmaker from Michigan to the U.S. Senate in years.

The race pitted two veterans of federal government who both had a background in law enforcement, with Slotkin cruising to an easy win in the Democratic Primary while Rogers beat back challenges from multiple former lawmakers in the Republican Primary.

A race that featured two lively debates, tens of millions of dollars in ad spending, and massive implications for future governing in Michigan and the U.S., there was no clear favorite heading into the final days of the election. But with Slotkin the projected winner, it cements her status as an effective campaigner capable of raising massive amounts of money in tight congressional races.