U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Lansing) was endorsed Monday in her run for U.S. Senate by former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
“She is an incredible leader who ran in and won a Republican-leaning district — not once, but three times. Elissa has been a steadfast advocate for families and children in Michigan and across the country,” said Giffords, a Democrat who survived an assassination attempt during a mass shooting in 2011 and has since become a national gun control advocate.
“The fight to stop gun violence can change lives,” said Giffords. “We are at a crossroads, we can let the shooting continue or we can act. We can protect our families and our future.”
Giffords made the endorsement at a Slotkin campaign event held at Franklin Wright Settlements, a Detroit-based human services organization. Slotkin is seeking the Democratic nomination to succeed Sen. Debbie Stabenow, (D-Lansing).
”We should care about gun violence no matter where it happens,” said Slotkin. “But as someone who’s had a career in national security, I was trained to look objectively at the threats to Americans, and then work to counter those threats. And right now, the greatest threat to the children of the United States is gun violence.”
Following the mass shooting at Michigan State University in February, Slotkin co-sponsored the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2023 and the Assault Weapons Ban of 2023, as well as reintroduced her Safe Guns, Safe Kids Act, which requires safe and proper storage of firearms in households to prevent children and others from illegally accessing the weapon.
That bill was first introduced after the deadly mass shooting at Oxford High School in November 2021 and passed in the House in June 2022.
Following the event, Slotkin tweeted out her gratitude for the endorsement.
“Thank you to my friend @GabbyGiffords for joining me in Detroit today to talk about why gun violence is a threat to urban, suburban and rural communities, and for the support she and @GIFFORDS_org have given me on this topic. She’s the definition of a principled leader, and I’m grateful to have her in my corner in this fight.”
Other Democrats seeking the nomination include Michigan Board of Education President Pamela Pugh, former state Rep. Leslie Love (D-Detroit), actor Hill Harper, attorney Zack Burns and businessman Nasser Beydoun.
Republicans seeking the seat include State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder, businessman Michael Hoover, former Berrien County Commissioner Ezra Scott and attorney Alexandria Taylor.
Also, according to Politico, former Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, formerly from Howell who now lives in Florida, may also be planning a run.
