Slotkin’s visibility makes GOP nervous as Democratic response draws near

Hours before U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin planned to deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress in his second term, the White House had something to say about Michigan’s new senator.

In a press release, the White House criticized Slotkin for being “opposed to President Trump’s agenda to lower costs, bringing back manufacturing, and securing our borders.”

She was flagged for voting against overturning President Joe Biden’s tailpipe emission rule, which arguably pushes automakers to sell more electric vehicles. They claim these “EV mandates” would cost 200,000 American jobs, with 37,000 coming from Michigan.

The White House moved on to Slotkin’s vote against the “Secure the Border Act,” the House Republicans’ 2023 effort to better monitor who is coming across the Mexican border, among other like-minded initiatives.

As a kicker, they used a Slotkin quote from the campaign in which she said, “I don’t believe that anyone really thinks a wall from sea to shining sea is needed to make us safer.”

The Trump White House conclusion: “Slotkin is just another out-of-touch politician that wants to hollow out American manufacturing and let criminals flood into our communities.”

Ouch. That’s a heck of a preempt to a likely Democratic response to a speech.

He wasn’t the only one to share thoughts about Michigan’s junior senator. The state’s new Michigan Republican Party chair, Sen. Jim Runestad, planned to host a watch party of Trump’s address. He invited the media to attend.

According to the media advisory, the new chair wanted an opportunity to respond to “Trump’s America First Agenda and Senator Slotkin’s response.”

Slotkin, our former House member from mid-Michigan, is seeing a great deal of attention in her first 90 days in office.

It’s as if Republicans are worried about something ... or the Democrats see something ... or both. Remember, Whitmer was “that woman from Michigan” in 2020, and the publicity she received has snowballed ever since.

Slotkin is making a strong impression in Washington. You don’t get the House and Senate minority leaders singing your praises, calling you a “rising star” for being a wallflower.

Could Slotkin’s trajectory lead her to even bigger and better things? At only age 48, it certainly can’t be ruled out.

Here’s a quick trivia question for you. What two things do the following people have in common? U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former Sen. Bob Dole.

Answer: They all ran for president at some point and gave a State of the Union response.

Here are some more: Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, former House Speaker Paul Ryan and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear.

They were all talked about as at least a potential vice-presidential candidate. Each one also gave a State of the Union response speech.

I’ve already talked about Whitmer’s speech in 2020.

The governor is being talked about as a potential presidential candidate in 2028 after her name was thrown about in 2024, first as a presidential candidate and then as a possible Kamala Harris running mate, until she said no. The Washington Post had her No. 2 behind Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in an article about the 12 Democrats who “make the most sense” in running for president in 2028.

So, getting back to Slotkin.

She’s getting a ton of attention. The BBC, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News and other national outlets all did the “Who is Elissa Slotkin” story in the run-up to Trump’s speech.

Her national security credentials are being amplified after she held positions in the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Her more centrist positions are out there for all to see.

And there’s the fact that she’s still an undefeated 4-for-4 in the past four election cycles.

She talks about improving people’s lives and lowering the cost of living. She also wants to protect Social Security and Medicaid.

Good or bad, people in D.C. see her potential. Here in Lansing, we can always say we gave her that first win back in 2018.

(Kyle Melinn is the editor of the Capitol news service MIRS. You can email him at melinnky@gmail.com.)