Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s (D-MI) surprise retirement announcement in January set off significant recruitment efforts on both sides of the aisle.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP campaign arm, vowed in a statement at the time to “aggressively target this seat in 2024.” More than eight months later, none of their potential recruits have gotten in the race, though a number are considering it.
SPACEX LAUNCHES FIRST FULLY INTERNATIONAL CREW TO ISS
Democrats, meanwhile, have Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and progressive actor Hill Harper in their primary contest. Slotkin, a former CIA agent, is viewed as a competitive candidate because of her success in holding onto her swing district in the House for three consecutive cycles and her impressive fundraising network. Harper, known for his role on ABC’s The Good Doctor, has said he plans to run to Slotkin’s left.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, typically doesn’t get involved in primaries when not protecting incumbents.
On the GOP side, the candidate recruitment effort in the Wolverine State is still underway. A source familiar with the NRSC’s strategy told the Washington Examiner that the committee has had conversations with five potential candidates: former Reps. Mike Rogers and Peter Meijer, New York Stock Exchange vice chairman John Tuttle, former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, and businessman Sandy Pensler, who came in second in the state’s 2018 GOP Senate primary.
All five are considering a bid, though the source noted that the NRSC has not determined whether it will weigh in on the Michigan primary yet.
Rep. John James (R-MI), who was the party’s nominee in 2018 against Stabenow and in 2020 against Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), opted to run for reelection in the House this cycle. As did Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI), who is widely believed to have gubernatorial ambitions.
Of the five still thinking about getting in the race, Craig seems most likely to get in first. The former police chief said earlier this month that his mind is “99% made up” on the matter and that Rogers or anyone else entering the race would not impact his decision “one iota.”
"I think they’re watching me, and they should," Craig said of his possible primary opponents, adding that he’ll announce his decision in the next 60 days.
Rogers, who served in the House from 2001-2015 and chaired the House Intelligence Committee, had toyed with the idea of throwing his hat in the ring since March when he concluded that a GOP presidential bid would likely be unsuccessful.
He hasn’t provided a timeline for when he’ll make a decision, nor has Meijer, who served in the House for one term before losing his GOP primary last year over his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Meijer is the great-grandson of the founder of the Meijer supermarket chain, a mainstay in Michigan that grew his family’s net worth to an estimated $6 billion. That fortune gives Meijer the ability to self-fund, making him an appealing candidate for the NRSC as it tries to allocate resources effectively ahead of what’s shaping up to be an expensive election cycle.
The 35-year-old’s main problem, similar to what brought him down in 2022, will be getting through another GOP primary after disavowing the former president. That lift will be even heavier in Michigan, where the state GOP party has fully embraced Trump since his 2016 win and remained loyal despite 2020 and 2022 losses.
Like Meijer, Pensler would also be able to self-fund his race. Still, his previous efforts doing exactly that, such as his 2018 Senate bid, failed to make him a top-tier candidate. His timeline for making a decision on a 2024 bid is unclear.
Tuttle, who joined the world’s largest stock exchange in 2007 after a stint in the George W. Bush administration, only began actively looking into a bid in late spring. The 41-year-old, who hosted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) at the NYSE in April, has also not said when he’ll decide whether to run.
The plus for all these potential GOP candidates is that they have time. The filing deadline for candidates in Michigan is not until late April.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
A DSCC spokesman said in a statement to the Washington Examiner that the GOP candidate chaos only reaffirmed their confidence in Democrats’ ability to hold onto Stabenow’s seat next year.
“Democrats have held both Senate seats in Michigan for more than 20 years and 2024 will be no exception,” DSCC spokesman Tommy Garcia said. “Michigan Republicans’ state party is in shambles and whatever second rate candidate manages to get through their brutal primary will be damaged and exposed for their out-of-touch positions.”