By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com


8th District Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin has officially kicked off her re-election campaign.

The Holly Democrat did so on a three-county tour, Friday, making the middle stop in Livingston County, at Huron Meadows Metropark in Green Oak Township. The event came three years to the day when she kicked off her last campaign, and eventually unseated Republican Mike Bishop. Slotkin said that due to her military background, she was largely apolitical until the tenor of the 2016 elections changed that. What drove her to run was the issue of health care following the loss of her mother who was without health insurance and suffered a pre-existing condition, coupled with Congress repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Slotkin said Friday that she is still fighting for the price of health care and prescription drugs, clean water, and to bring civility to Washington. On the topic of PFAS, the Congresswoman said Livingston County has been source of inspiration for 6 provisions passed into law. She told attendees that she has gone on pontoons on the Chain of Lakes, has seen the PFAS foam, and understands that in the past 10 days another warning not to eat fish out of the Huron River has come down. Slotkin said Livingston County was where she really formulated her thoughts on trying to change the approach to environmental issues. She called environmental security “Homeland Security” and said it’s about the safety of “our kids and the preservation of our way of life.” Slotkin then proclaimed that we should be “muscular about protecting the resources we love.”

Slotkin said COVID-19 has brought upon two measures to fight for in the remainder of this term and into her next, if elected. She said we must find a way to stimulate the economy back to full health, and bring the manufacturing of critical medical supplies back state-side. Slotkin has already sponsored multiple bills to incentivize American companies to do so.

Slotkin addressed bi-partisanship and told the crowd that it was in her blood because of the way she was trained as a national security professional. She is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, which is the only equally bi-partisan group that meets weekly in Washington. She said her job is to find the overlap between the party ideologies and push forward legislation that helps people’s lives.

Slotkin is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination in the August 4th primary, and will take on the Republican nominee in the November general election. Running for the Republican nomination are former TV news anchor Paul Junge of Brighton, car salesman Mike Detmer of Howell, East Lansing Attorney Kristina Lyke, and former Marine Alan Hoover of Ortonville.