Democrats chose Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a freshman representing the swing state, to make the party’s official response to President Donald Trump’s speech on Tuesday night in the Congressional joint session.
“Big: @senatorslotkin announced that he will bring a democratic response to Trump’s joint speech. He is nothing more than a rising star in our party. She is dedicated to her country.
Slotkin was elected to the Michigan Senate seat, with Trump winning the same election. She told X: “I look forward to talking directly with Americans next week. I hope that the public will level up with our leaders on what’s actually happening in our country.”
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Senator Elissa Slotkin will give a democratic response to Trump’s speech to Congress on Tuesday evening. (Reuters)
“From our economic security to national security, we must advance ways to improve the lives of people in our countries we all love, and I look forward to laying it out.
The senator received his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree from Columbia University.
Slotkin spent much of her career in the national security field, offering three tours in Iraq as a CIA analyst alongside the US military. She then took on multiple roles in the Pentagon and the White House under two different presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. In 2014, Obama nominated Slotkin to serve at the Pentagon as Secretary of Defense of the Department of Defense.
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She then chose to run for Congress in Michigan in 2018, where she grew up.
Slotkin managed to defeat the Republican incumbent in Michigan’s major swing district. She served several terms as a member of the House before choosing to run for the Senate to replace former Senator Debbie Stavenow’s D-Mich.
Despite Trump’s victory at Battlegrounds State in 2024, Slotkin pulled out her own victory for the Democrats, beating GOP candidate Mike Rodgers by less than a percentage point.
Since coming to the Senate, she has provided harsh criticism of the party, urging Democrats to escape the politics of identity.
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Schumer announced that Slotkin would give the party a response to Trump’s speech. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“As a moderate Democrat, I think she was a great choice,” former Democrat Senator majority leader Harry Reid and former Senate Senate Caucus senior communications advisor and spokesman Jim Manley told Fox News Digital.
He said Slotkin’s choice would be “especially” good just tossing red meat at the base, using indifferent rhetoric that Trump would turn off swing voters.
However, “based on years of experience dealing with these [I was] They are usually much more work to work for Senator Reid than they’ve ever been worth it,” he added.
Jim Kessler, former senior aide to Schumer, told Fox News Digital that he is a Slotkin fan for his response. “She’s tough, clever and not afraid to ruffle her wings,” he said.
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Rep. Elissa Slotkin will speak on stage during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 22, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“She also comes from the wing of Democratic centralism, which is important as a signal to voters. She hopes to focus on the issue of bread and butter.
Slotkin is “one of the better options Democrats have,” according to Michigan Republican strategist Jason Cabell Law.
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The response of more “centrist” senators comes when Democrats are “absolutely confused,” he said.
“I think you’re seeing a real tug of war between the more progressive elements of the party and the more traditional elements of the party,” added Law.
Slotkin’s office declined to comment when Fox News Digital reached it.
Julia Johnson is a political writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business and is a major reporter in the US Senate. She was previously a political reporter for the Washington Examiner.
Follow Julia’s report on X @juliaajohnson_ Submit your tip to julia.johnson@fox.com.
