Vulnerable House Democrat Elissa Slotkin (D-MI-08), who is now running in the state’s newly drawn 7th Congressional District, may be in political jeopardy, according to a new poll.
The survey, commissioned by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), demonstrated that Republican Tom Barrett holds a two-point lead over Slotkin.
Records from the Federal Election Commission indicate Barrett is the only Republican running in the race.
Specifically, Barrett sits at 46 percent among voters, compared to the incumbent’s 44 percent. Furthermore, when voters were informed on each candidate’s record, the state lawmaker jumped ahead of Slotkin by a 52-to-42 margin.
Even more concerning for the Democrat, she commands widespread name recognition.
“Slotkin is a sitting incumbent under 50% on the ballot with almost 100% name ID when the wrong track number is the worst it’s ever been in decades. This is 2018 in reverse when she rode the wave in,” the summary of the poll stated.
Additionally, in the district, roughly 62 percent of voters disapprove of President Joe Biden’s job performance. Those numbers could hurt the at-risk member, as President Biden traveled to the state with Slotkin late last year.
“Elissa Slotkin might be doing better if she didn’t spend her time in Washington backing Joe Biden’s inflationary spending sprees and massive tax hikes,” said NRCC Spokesman Mike Berg.
However, the Democrat maintains one major advantage of Barrett: fundraising. Slotkin has brought in $5,152,925 for the current election cycle and has $5,515,527.11 cash on hand. Republican Tom Barrett has taken in $777,706.09, as he has only $395,910.15.
With those campaign funds, one watchdog group filed an ethics complaint against Slotkin. The group contended the congresswoman attended a meeting from what “appeared to be her congressional office, and during the meeting proceeded to discuss campaign strategy and to solicit campaign contributions.”
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Michigan Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tom Barrett” by Tom Barrett for Congress. Photo “Elissa Slotkin” by Rep. Elissa Slotkin. Background Photo “U.S. Capitol Building” by GPA Photo Archive.
