What Slotkin’s Senate bid means in Michigan

Feb 27, 2023

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YELLEN ABROAD — Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN made a surprise trip to Ukraine today “to reinforce the Biden administration’s support and highlight the economic aid that’s helping keep the embattled nation’s schools, hospitals and other essential services running as Russia’s invasion enters its second year,” Bloomberg’s Viktoria Dendrinou and Daryna Krasnolutska write. Yellen’s visit comes just a week after President JOE BIDEN visited the war-torn country.

Yellen also penned an op-ed for NYT timed with her trip: “Economic Aid to Ukraine Is Vital”

TALKER — “The Case for a Primary Challenge to Joe Biden,” by The Atlantic’s Mark Leibovich: “If approached deftly, the gambit could benefit the president, the party, and even the challenger’s own standing, win or lose. There has to be one good Challenger X out there from the party’s supposed ‘deep bench,’ right? Someone who is compelling, formidable, and younger than, say, 65. Someone who is not MARIANNE WILLIAMSON. Someone who would be unfailingly gracious to Biden and reverential of his career — even while trying to end it.”

Williamson, meanwhile, took a shot at her detractors in a tweet this morning: “So apparently only those who’ve had careers entrenched in the machine that drove us into the ditch should possibly be considered ‘qualified’ to lead us out of it. (They’re done such a bang up job and all.) Squirm, darlings. We see you.”

Elissa Slotkin is pictured.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) formally launched a campaign for retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow's (D-Mich.) seat. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo

SLOTTING IN — Rep. ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-Mich.) officially jumped into the race to succeed retiring Sen. DEBBIE STABENOW (D-Mich.) in 2024, becoming the first major Dem to enter the contest.

“The third-term congresswoman … launched a campaign website and video Monday describing her path to public service and motivations for running for the upper chamber,” the Detroit News’ Riley Beggin and Melissa Nann Burke write. “Americans seem to be ‘living crisis to crisis,’ she said in the video, but ‘there are some things that are really simple,’ like protecting American manufacturing, children's safety, democracy and pathways to a middle-class lifestyles.”

From Slotkin’s announcement video: “We need a new generation of leaders that thinks differently, works harder and never forgets that we are public servants. Our country is going to get through this. It’s hard work, but that's what Michiganders do.” Watch the video

The Dem field: While it’s possible that Slotkin could be joined by the likes of state AG DANA NESSEL, Secretary of State JOCELYN BENSON or even Rep. DEBBIE DINGELL, one senior Michigan Democrat told our colleagues Kelly Hooper and Heidi Przybyla that Slotkin is already emerging as the “consensus candidate,” drawing on her reputation from having thrice won in one of the toughest and most expensive congressional districts in the country.

The GOP field: There is no clear Republican frontrunner just yet. Rep. JOHN JAMES — who ran for Senate in 2018 and 2020 and was well-positioned for a bid in 2022 — has opted to instead run for reelection. Only NIKKI SNYDER, a member of the state Board of Education, has entered the race on the GOP side. Former Rep. PETER MEIJER is also reportedly considering a bid. Reminder: Republicans last won a senate race in Michigan in 1994.

What about Slotkin’s House seat? The Congressional Leadership Fund — the KEVIN McCARTHY-aligned super PAC for House Republicans — is already trying to spin Slotkin’s decision as a blow to Dems’ chances of retaking the House. “Elissa Slotkin’s departure guarantees this top-targeted seat is even more winnable in 2024,” CLF comms director CALVIN MOORE said. “Democrats' tough road to retaking the majority gets even harder as their top recruits continue heading for the exits.”

Who to watch: The Dispatch’s Ashley Fahlberg reports that GOP state Sen. TOM BARRETT is eyeing a run, telling her that he has “received very strong encouragement from throughout Michigan to run for the 7th District and is putting together plans to do so.” Barrett ran against Slotkin in 2022. Meanwhile, Democrat BARB BYRUM, the current Ingham County clerk, has also put out feelers about a run.

IF WE’VE HEARD IT ONCE … First lady JILL BIDEN tells CNN in a new interview that when it comes to a reelection campaign for her husband, she’s “all for it.” She continued: “It’s Joe’s decision. And we support whatever he wants to do. If he’s in, we’re there. If he wants to do something else, we’re there too.” More from CNN, which will air an exclusive interview with the first lady on Thursday

Good Monday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Send me your wild card predictions for the Michigan congressional elections: gross@politico.com.

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CONGRESS

THE NEW GOP — “Emboldened by its majority, House GOP turns up heat on federal workers,” by WaPo’s Lisa Rein and Jacqueline Alemany: “The effort includes seeking testimony from middle- and lower-level workers who are part of what Republicans have long derided as the ‘deep state,’ while some lawmakers are drafting bills that have little chance of passing the Democrat-led Senate but give Republicans a chance to argue for reining in the federal bureaucracy of 2.1 million employees. …

“House Republican leaders have told almost all of their committees to come up with plans by March to slash spending and beef up oversight of federal agencies in their jurisdiction. Unions and others who advocate for federal workers are bracing for still more friction, including proposals to reduce or eliminate cost-of-living adjustments to wages and shave the government’s share of health insurance premiums or retirement benefits.”

THE NOT-SO-TALENTED MR. OGLES — Rep. ANDREW OGLES (R-Tenn.) released a statement this morning admitting that he “misstated the degree he received from Middle Tennessee State University, claiming he learned of the discrepancy only last week after requesting an official copy of his transcript,” WaPo’s John Wagner writes. WTVF in Nashville previously reported on some discrepancies in Ogles’ background from what the congressman stated on his website.

“In Ogles’s statement, which focuses narrowly on his college degree, he said he transferred to MTSU in his senior year to pursue a degree in political science and international relations. Before graduating, he said, he dropped out of school to assist his family with a difficult matter. Upon later returning as a ‘non-traditional student,’ Ogles said, he sought to finish his degree through a distance-learning program.” Read the original WTVF report

2024 WATCH

PRIMARY COLORS — “GOP leaders, stung by losses, plan to wade into Senate races,” by AP’s Brian Slodysko: “The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which [Florida Sen. RICK] SCOTT formerly led, intends to wade into party primaries in key states, providing resources to its preferred candidates in a bid to produce nominees who are more palatable to general election voters. It may be easier said than done. Similar efforts have backfired in recent years, with the party’s restive base rejecting the attempts. The new push will test anew whether the GOP establishment can steer a party reshaped by DONALD TRUMP’s insurgent presidency back to mainstream appeal.”

ALL POLITICS

RISING TO POWER — “Indian Americans Rapidly Climbing Political Ranks,” by NYT’s Maggie Astor and Jill Cowan: “Indians did not begin moving to the United States in large numbers until after a landmark 1965 immigration law. But a range of factors, such as the relative wealth of Indian immigrants and high education levels, have propelled a rapid political ascent for the second and third generations. Advocacy groups — including Impact and the AAPI Victory Fund — have mobilized to recruit and support them, and to direct politicians’ attention to the electoral heft of Indian Americans, whose populations in states including Georgia, Pennsylvania and Texas are large enough to help sway local, state and federal races.”

FRAUD FILES — “Fraud hunters challenged 92,000 voter registrations in Georgia last year,” by NBC’s Jane Timm: “The numbers offer a window into the impact of both baseless claims of stolen elections and Georgia’s 2021 sweeping election law. Senate Bill 202, as it is known, codified that county residents could make unlimited requests to election officials, asking them to remove voters from the rolls if the challengers believed they were ineligible.”

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JUDICIARY SQUARE

SCOTUS WATCH — “Supreme Court takes up potentially sweeping consumer bureau case,” by Katy O’Donnell: “The Supreme Court said Monday it will take up a challenge to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funding structure, in a case that could sharply curtail the agency’s power and jeopardize its previous actions. … [I]f the high court upholds a lower court’s decision against the CFPB, the ruling could have an impact on other agencies as well.”

But, but, but: Don’t expect a decision any time soon. The justices aren’t expected to hear the case until next term, meaning a decision isn’t likely until 2024, CNN’s Joan Biskupic notes.

THE REAL-WORLD IMPACT — “Where Can You Carry a Gun? Whiplash Court Rulings Create Confusion,” by NYT’s Jonah Bromwich: “When the Supreme Court struck down [New York’s] old law, declaring that Americans did not need to justify their right to carry firearms, it created a new national standard for whether gun laws are constitutional.”

Related read: “Old Racist Gun Laws Enter Modern-Day Legal Battles,” by WSJ’s Jacob Gershman

POLICY CORNER

ONE TO WATCH — “The Justice Department Is Warning About A Major Rail Merger. It Might Get Approved Anyway,” by HuffPost’s Kevin Robillard: “The merger, if approved, would give the combined railroad control of lines stretching all the way from Canada to Mexico — a potential boon for Canada’s oil industry that raises the possibility of more oil-carrying trains running through American cities and towns. Approval of the merger would go against both the Biden administration’s long-standing push to revive antitrust enforcement and its more recent invective against railroad industry power following the toxic derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio.”

ACCRUAL WORLD — “I.R.S. Decision Not to Tax Certain Payments Carries Fiscal Cost,” by NYT’s Linda Qiu and Alan Rappeport: “Taken together, the moves by the I.R.S. run counter to two big economic issues bedeviling Washington — rapid inflation and concerns about the government’s ability to avoid defaulting on its debt. Allowing residents to avoid paying taxes on their state rebates means more money in their pockets to spend at a moment when the Federal Reserve is trying to rein in consumer and business spending to cool rising prices.”

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BEYOND THE BELTWAY

FROM RHETORIC TO REAL LIFE — “Trans people face ‘horrifying’ rhetoric at statehouses,” by AP’s Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Ark.: “Advocates worry that increasingly hostile rhetoric about transgender people could have a chilling effect on those who want to speak out against new restrictions and could do lasting damage to a community of trans youth that is already marginalized. … So far this year, at least 150 bills targeting transgender people have been introduced, which is the highest in a single year, according to the Human Rights Campaign.”

CLIMATE CLICKER — “The risk of damage from hurricane winds will shift in coming decades. See the impact by Zip code,” by WaPo’s John Muyskens, Andrew Ba Tran, Brady Dennis and Niko Kommenda

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

LIFE IN AFGHANISTAN — “Dying Children and Frozen Flocks in Afghanistan’s Bitter Winter of Crisis,” by NYT’s Christina Goldbaum and Yaqoob Akbary in Qadis, Afghanistan: “Hundreds have died in plunging temperatures, and malnutrition has been rampant as the Taliban government’s ban on female workers has hampered international aid.”

WAR IN UKRAINE

ON THE GROUND — “Russia Launches New Wave of Iranian-Made Drones Against Ukraine,” by WSJ’s Yaroslav Trofimov in Kyiv, Ukraine

PLAYBOOKERS

OUT AND ABOUT — Polish Ambassador Marek Magierowski made a guest appearance at the National Philharmonic’s “An Evening of Chopin with Brian Ganz and Friends” on Saturday night at the Strathmore, where he delivered remarks about Poland’s support for Ukraine while commemorating the one-year anniversary of the war. SPOTTED: Katarzyna Rybka-Iwanska, Beata Pekala, Agnieszka Pilat, Brian Ganz, Laura Colgate and Carter Brey.

MEDIA MOVES — Mica Soellner is now a Congress reporter with Punchbowl News. She previously was a Capitol Hill reporter at The Washington Times. … Hannah Farrow is now writer/editor of newsletters at National Geographic. She previously was a senior digital producer and Florida reporter at POLITICO.

WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE — Former Columbia, S.C., Mayor Steve Benjamin will serve as senior adviser and director of the White House’s Office of Public Engagement as Keisha Lance Bottoms departs, Axios’ Sophia Cal reports.

TRANSITIONS — Marc Carlson is now chief revenue officer at the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue. He previously was a senior adviser with State. … Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau is now a senior adviser to the CEO and director of external affairs at the U.S. Agency for Global Media. She previously was acting assistant secretary for global public affairs at State. … Kaitlyn Montan is now director of legislative affairs at the Council on Environmental Quality. She previously was a legislative director for Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas). …

… Margie Almanza is now labor policy director for the Senate HELP Committee GOP. She previously was a professional staff member at the Senate Aging Committee and is a Trump DOL alum. … Nicole Frazier is now an associate partner of government relations at Dentons Global Advisors. She most recently was SVP at the Daniels Fund and is a Trump White House alum. … Phil Dion is now SVP of customer solutions at the Edison Electric Institute. He previously was VP of federal affairs at American Electric Power.

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