Democrat Elissa Slotkin defeats Mike Rogers to represent Michigan in US Senate

Brandon Bell/Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images

By Kyle Kaminski

November 6, 2024

Preliminary election results show that Democratic US Rep. Elissa Slotkin has defeated her Republican challenger for a six-year term representing Michigan in the US Senate.

MICHIGAN—Democratic US Rep. Elissa Slotkin appears to have won a six-year term in the US Senate after preliminary election results show Slotkin defeating her Republican opponent, former US Rep. Mike Rogers, by about 100,000 votes, with 94% of precincts reporting.

MIRS News called the race for Slotkin based on the early results on Wednesday morning.

Here’s how the race is stacking up, with 94% of votes counted:

Elissa Slotkin — 2,598,751 — 49.4%
Mike Rogers — 2,499,015 — 47.5%

“It takes a village in order to win in the state of Michigan,” Slotkin said during a brief, late-night speech at a Michigan Democratic Party event in Detroit on Tuesday. “We always knew that this was going to be a tight race and that is exactly what we’re seeing unfold in front of us.”

Election officials weren’t finished tallying up the state’s preliminary election results on Wednesday afternoon. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has cautioned (several weeks in advance) that those may not arrive until Wednesday evening.

The Associated Press, which Courier Newsroom also relies on to report race results, does not make projections and will only declare a winner when it finds there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidate to close the gap. Unlike MIRS, it has not called a winner in this race.

The State Board of Canvassers will meet later this month to review and finalize Michigan’s official election results. Regardless of Slotkin’s win, however, Republicans have gained majority control of the US Senate, according to preliminary election results.

Slotkin is a third-generation Michigander who grew up on her family farm in Holly. She was recruited by the CIA, served three tours in Iraq alongside the US military, and worked on the national security staff for both President George W. Bush and Barack Obama’s administrations.

She’s currently in her third term in the US House and has vowed to stay focused on finding new ways to lower costs for working class families—including by passing bills to bring down the cost of prescription drugs and help ensure that critical manufacturing supply chains stay in the US.

Slotkin has also been a big advocate for both labor unions and military veterans.

Her election will ultimately go on to shape the future of federal policy on key issues that affect the day-to-day lives of millions of Michiganders—like access to affordable healthcare, job creation, reproductive rights, clean energy investments, and environmental protections.

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Author

Kyle Kaminski

Kyle Kaminski is an award-winning investigative journalist with more than a decade of experience covering news across Michigan. Prior to joining The ‘Gander, Kyle worked as the managing editor at City Pulse in Lansing and as a reporter for the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

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