Does Slotkin Have a Winning Message to Take on the GOP?

Bankole Thompson
| The Detroit Journal

U.S. Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin is finally scheduled to debate her primary opponent Hill Harper on July 26. The showdown will air on WHPR TV, the black-owned community television station in Highland Park.

But that’s not the only issue the Lansing congresswoman should be concerned about as she speaks to black voters. The bigger question is whether Slotkin, who is the favorite of the Democratic establishment, will have a winning message if she wins her party’s nomination to compete against someone like Donald Trump-backed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers.

“Slotkin can’t be too careful when it comes to speaking to the black community. She’s going to have to be bold in her message, which has to include all of Michigan as well as our major urban areas,” said former Democratic state Rep. Ronnie Peterson of Ypsilanti. “To earn people’s trust, she has to tell us where she stands on the issues, because our urban cities are facing all sorts of health care disparities and a terrible lack of affordable housing for working families. At this point, we need to bring in more federal funding to close the gap between the rich and the poor.”

Peterson, an urban policy veteran and former political director for AFSCME Council 25, says Slotkin and Democrats can’t underestimate Republicans. It takes a compelling message to keep the seat vacated by retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow in the blue column.

“Senators have a lot of influence and power,” Peterson said. “That’s why we need a candidate who can bring the spirit and courage of our late, legendary Democratic Senator Philip Hart to rekindle the trust of urban voters and show that they have a vested interest in the people. Senator Hart, a staunch civil rights advocate, didn’t wait to be told about the issues. He was on the front lines of the civil rights movement when white politicians paid a heavy price for supporting the black community.”

He added: “Poverty is a major problem facing people in both urban and rural Michigan and we cannot escape this reality. We need a candidate who can give hope to people who feel they have no reason to vote because they have not seen significant improvement in their lives, election after election.”

Asked about the Slotkin campaign’s message, campaign spokesperson Antoine Givens issued a statement:

“Over the 17 months Elissa has been on this campaign, she has made it her mission to talk to people in every region of the state, to go out there and listen. Her campaign message reflects what she has heard from countless Michiganders. Elissa is focused on providing everyone—urban, rural and suburban—with the opportunity to enter and stay in the middle class and beyond. Our campaign highlights the contrast between Elissa’s record of supporting middle-class Michiganders and that of any of her Republican opponents in the general election.”

Jonathan Kinloch, who is chairing the 13th Democratic Party Congress^th The congressional district admits it will be a tough battle for Democrats in the fall.

“We’re going to have to get a clear message across to all the candidates,” Kinloch said. “Democrats have absolutely pushed for legislation to protect working families, but we’re not good at getting that message across. There doesn’t seem to be any real interest or enthusiasm around this election. It seems like a lot of white noise right now. If Slotkin is our candidate, she’s going to have to elevate her message so she can clearly differentiate herself from the Republican candidate. If she can do that, then she’s risen to the occasion.”

Despite the millions of dollars raised, Slotkin will have to determine whether she can sharpen her message and shed light on the deep-seated issues facing the state’s economically disadvantaged communities. Indeed, campaigns and candidates are not limited to those who can get people out to vote, but also those who can demonstrate that they are willing to take a stand on critical issues when they are needed most, not stand on the sidelines or hide behind carefully crafted press releases.

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Bankole Thompson’s columns appear Mondays and Thursdays in The Detroit News.