Democrat Elissa Slotkin is buying massive ads to raise funds in the Michigan Senate election campaign

LANSING, Michigan – Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin is using her fundraising lead in the race for Michigan’s coveted vacant U.S. Senate seat to spend $8 million on advertising in the final weeks before the general election.

Slotkin is the clear favorite for the Democratic nomination in Michigan’s Aug. 6 primary and is expected to face a Republican candidate who has strong backing from national groups. Three Republicans are vying for the party’s nomination and former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers has secured an endorsement from Donald Trump.

“This investment will be critical to engaging and mobilizing voters in the final weeks of the campaign and getting Elissa Slotkin into the U.S. Senate,” Slotkin campaign spokesman Austin Cook said in a statement.

While the ad reservation was planned well before President Joe Biden’s troubling performance at the debate, Democrats across the country are concerned about its potential impact on crucial lower-ballot elections, including Slotkin’s.

The October and November TV ad bookings include the Detroit, Grand Rapids, Traverse City and Flint media markets and span broadcast, cable and digital platforms, according to a news release first obtained by the Associated Press.

Democrats are seeking to retain the U.S. Senate seat held by Senator Debbie Stabenow since 2001 after she announced her retirement last year. Michigan is one of the swing states that could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate for the next two years.

Slotkin, who is serving her third term in Congress, announced her Senate campaign in February 2023. Since then, she has garnered significant support through fundraising and endorsements, positioning herself as a front-runner for the Democratic nomination. Actor Hill Harper is her only challenger, but he is at a significant fundraising disadvantage.

Since announcing her candidacy, Slotkin has raised over $16 million and had $8.6 million in cash on hand, according to her most recent campaign finance update in early April.

The three leading Republican candidates in the race came nowhere close to Slotkin’s fundraising total, and Rogers had raised just $2.9 million by the end of March.

At the national level, Republican groups are increasingly getting involved in the election campaign as the seat appears more likely for a party that has not won a Senate victory in Michigan since 1994.

In June, the Republican senators’ campaign arm announced plans to buy $100 million worth of ads in key swing states, including Michigan, ahead of the 2024 election. National GOP groups have reserved a total of more than $14 million for ads following the Senate primaries and leading up to the general election, according to media monitoring firm AdImpact.

Rogers was endorsed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, but the primary was more contentious than the party expected. Businessman Sandy Pensler, another Republican candidate, has spent over $3 million on ads, some of which attack Rogers.

Democrats have also bought big ads in the Michigan Senate race. The Democrats’ Senate campaign arm has reserved nearly $10 million and their PAC has reserved another $17 million for ads, according to AdImpact.