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Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., met with Michigan’s senior Senator, Debbie Stabenow, for more than an hour Thursday evening just off the Senate floor as Slotkin publicly weighs a bid for the retiring senator's seat.
The third-term congresswoman, fresh off a win in her competitive re-election bid, hasn't announced a decision as to whether she'll run to replace Stabenow, who is retiring at the end of 2024. But the lengthy meeting comes as other Michigan Democrats are considering running too.
“It’s an earthquake to have Senator Stabenow leave Michigan politics. And lots of people are thinking about it,” Slotkin told NBC News following the meeting. “And I’m definitely seriously thinking about it, but I’m not on any timetable. I haven’t made any decisions.”
But Slotkin is laying the groundwork for a Senate run — she’s building a team and has been meeting with officials and local leaders across the state, a source close to the Congresswoman tells NBC.
Announcing her retirement, Stabenow, the first woman elected to the Senate from Michigan, called for future generations of women leaders. “But I have always believed it’s not enough to be the ‘first’ unless there is a ‘second’ and a ‘third’,” she said.
Slotkin, a former CIA officer, could heed that call after being one of the most vulnerable House Democrats just three months ago. If Slotkin decided to run, she will likely face a crowded field in the primary, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee vowing to “aggressively target this seat in 2024”.
For her part, Slotkin told NBC her meeting with Stabenow was mostly related to Michigan issues, and not her future plans.
“Like, common Michigan topics between the House and Senate. And that’s all I’ll say about that.”