Michigan Senate seat: Hill Harper’s historic bid

By Tashi McQueen
AFROC Political author
[email protected]

A battle for the U.S. Senate seat will take place in Michigan on August 6. Given the political upheaval and narrow majorities in the House and Senate, who wins the seat is more important than ever.

Hill Harper, an actor and union activist, is running to be the first black senator for Michigan. There have only been 12 black senators in U.S. history, and four are currently in office. Harper’s goal is to get more blacks and other groups who don’t normally vote to vote.

“I’m really focused on educating those who don’t normally vote in the primaries about the importance of the election,” Harper told the AFROC. “So many people come up to me and say, ‘Hey man, I’m voting for you in November.’ And I say, ‘Well, if you don’t vote for me on August 6th, don’t vote for me in November, because then I’m not going to be on the November ballot.'”

The actor plans to advocate for women’s reproductive rights, introduce universal health insurance, and push for a federal $15 minimum wage for all Americans if elected to the Senate.

“The best way is to be constantly present in the community,” Harper said of his tactics for reaching voters. “No gathering is too small.”

The seat became vacant in January 2023 after Senator Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, Michigan) announced her retirement at the end of her term. Stabenow has represented Michigan in the U.S. Senate since 2001. She also served as a member of the House of Representatives for four years.

Harper is running against Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan), who has represented the state’s seventh district since 2019, former Rep. Mike Rogers (R), and several others. In total, six candidates are vying for the seat, two Democrats and four Republicans.

Slotkin has nearly two decades of professional experience working for the federal government at the CIA, State Department, Department of Defense, and Office of the National Security Council.

Harper addressed the political experience of his opponents and explained why he is the person Michiganders should vote for in August.

“It’s very clear: If you look at the composition of the U.S. Senate, we don’t need more career politicians in this body,” said Harper. “We need people with diverse life experiences and people who are not beholden to special interests and corporate interests.”

Nina Kasniunas, an associate professor of political science at Goucher College, said she believes he faces an uphill battle, but nothing is impossible.

“It’s not impossible,” Kasniunas said. “That makes him a high-level challenger because of his notoriety or fame, he’s able to raise funds, but he’s going to have a tough time.”

“Slotkin has run for office before and won. She knows how to run a campaign,” Kasniunas said. “The people who vote probably know Slotkin pretty well.”

Harper stressed how important voter turnout was to his success in August.

“Now that we’re nearing the end, it’s just a matter of getting people to vote,” he said. “This whole thing is about turnout. I win with high turnout.