20 African-American leaders across Michigan endorse Slotkin for US Senate

BY JON KING, MICHIGAN ADVANCE

MICHIGAN—US Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) on Friday released a list of 20 African-American elected officials and community leaders from across Michigan who have endorsed her run for US Senate.

The list of new endorsements follow an event held last week in Grand Rapids, in which she further discussed her Opportunity Agenda, which was initially rolled out in March, to eliminate barriers to economic opportunities in Michigan’s urban communities.

Those endorsing Slotkin are:

• State Rep. Kristian Grant (D-Grand Rapids)
• State Rep. Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw)
• Jackson Mayor Daniel Mahoney
• Saginaw Mayor Brenda Moore
• Former Detroit Police Chief Ike McKinnon
• Genesee County Commission Chair James Avery
• Genesee County Commissioner Beverly Brown
• Kent County Commissioner Michelle McCloud
• Kent County Commissioner Monica Sparks
• Kalamazoo County Commissioner Monteze Morales
• Former Kent County Commissioner Robert S. Womack
• Grand Rapids City Commissioner Lisa Knight
• Former Grand Rapids City Commissioner Reverend Joe Jones
• Flint Board of Education Member Terae King
• Kentwood Board of Education Member Tanya Powell-May
• Madison Heights Councilman Quinn Wright
• Business leader Khary Bridgewater
• Community Leader George Bayard
• Community Leader Deborah Bayard
• Community Leader Victor Holt

According to a campaign release, Slotkin’s Opportunity Agenda was the result of “dozens of meetings and conversations with leaders from communities of color across Michigan over the last year.”

Out of those meetings, several policy proposals were developed, including:

• Reducing health disparities by increasing access to quality healthcare, nutritious food, and going after the long-standing problems like infant mortality and Black maternal health;
• Expanding early childhood development programs that are proven to work—including Head Start, the expanded Child Tax Credit and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to support parents and families;
• Increasing access to capital and federal contracting opportunities for minority businesses, and increasing accountability for lenders; and
• Reforming the filibuster in the US Senate, which is critical to having an up-or-down vote on key legislation like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which Slotkin has co-sponsored in Congress.

The latest list of endorsements of Slotkin are among more than 40 by community leaders and elected officials in Detroit, and over 200 elected officials, community leaders, and faith representatives from across Michigan, who have backed her in the U.S. Senate race.

The release also follows Thursday’s Zoom press call by her Democratic opponent in the Aug. 6 primary, actor Hill Harper of Detroit, in which Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell accused Slotkin of being “radio silent” on a demand by her and other Black elected leaders that a since-canceled debate “excludes Black women from having a seat at the table,” due to a lack of an “African American woman journalist,” being included.

Slotkin’s campaign said she had been “prepping in earnest,” for the debate, but planned to “instead continue to directly engage voters in Detroit and across the state.”

Republicans running for the nomination on Aug. 6 are former US Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake), former US Rep. Justin Amash (I-Cascade Twp.) and Dr. Sherry O’Donnell.

READ MORE: Mike Rogers tries to distance Senate campaign from past attempts to ban IVF

This coverage was republished from Michigan Advance pursuant to a Creative Commons license.