House - Elissa Slotkin - MI-7

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Democrat running for re-election in newly-drawn 7th district: central-south Michigan, including Lansing
Video clips:

- “Elissa Slotkin on Real Time with Bill Maher”

- “President Barack Obama Endorses Elissa Slotkin”

Elissa is a former CIA analyst who chairs a U.S. House subcommittee focusing on intelligence and counterterrorism.

In a 2018 speech when Barack Obama endorsed Elissa during her first congressional campaign, he said: “Elissa Slotkin watched her mom go without insurance before being diagnosed with stage-four cancer. Elissa took leave from the CIA to come home and take care of her mom and then last year she saw Mike Bishop vote to take people’s health insurance away and celebrate that vote in the Rose Garden, as if it was a good thing to do. And that’s when Elissa just decided, you know, that I’m running for Congress. She deserves your vote because you can trust her to make sure that your health care’s protected because she has been in your shoes. Knows what it’s like.”

Elissa speaks out about foreign and domestic terrorism

Elissa says the era of America's singular focus on threats from foreign terrorists has come and gone. “The ‘post-9/11’ era, where our greatest threats to national security were external, is over. It’s now extremists seeking to exploit internal divisions within our own country that pose the greatest threat. I have spent my career protecting the security of American citizens from foreign threats. Now, that mission turns toward the threats we face here at home, and those individuals and groups that, inspired by the division, turn their anger into terrorism and violence. It will take thoughtful, careful, collective work to improve our approach to these domestic threats –– but given the events of the last year alone, it must be our mission and mandate to air the legitimate debates on this topic and help come up with solutions to protect American citizens from the rise of terrorist violence…No matter what, we cannot allow violence to become a regular tool in our political system…I’m proud to be the Chair of the Intelligence and Counterterrorism Subcommittee, where it will be our mission to air the important and complicated questions around the issue of combatting domestic terrorism.”

To get a sense of the depth of Elissa’s commitment to combatting anti-democratic forces in the United States, see this brief video clip of her appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher.

In April 2021 Elissa pressed the Biden administration to consider designating white supremacist groups overseas as foreign terrorists. In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Elissa said that if the U.S. were to take the unprecedented step of listing such groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, or even a less-stringent designation, it would help curb dangerous white supremacist organizations. “It would also give the United States Government more tools to engage and flag the Americans who contact, support, train, and join these (white supremacist extremist) groups,” said Elissa. She asked the State Department to consider listing over a dozen organizations including the neo-Nazi National Action Group, founded in Britain and banned there in 2016. It was described in a 2018 U.S. counter-terrorism report as a terrorist group promoting violence against politicians and minorities. She also named the neo-Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement, which the report described as an anti-Western transnational organization behind violent attacks, including against Muslims and left-wing groups.

Elissa’s background

Elissa is a third generation Michigander. Her great-grandfather, an immigrant who came through Ellis Island, demonstrated hard work, decency, and integrity - values that became the foundation for Elissa’s career in public service.

Elissa was educated at Cornell University and Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. She had just started grad school at Columbia when 9/11 occurred. She was recruited by the CIA and became a specialist in the Middle East. Fluent in Arabic and Swahili, Elissa served three tours in Iraq, working alongside the U.S. military. She worked in the White House on matters related to Russia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, first for President George W. Bush and then President Obama. Her last job in Washington before returning to Michigan was Acting Assistant Director in the Defense Department in the Obama administration.

Elissa’s district and priorities

Listening to thousands of people across her district helped Elissa determine her policy priorities: providing affordable healthcare for everyone; ensuring that kids are safe and healthy by protecting against threats to our environment, national security, and the dangers posed by our aging infrastructure; and bringing economic opportunities to communities in her district.

In September 2019, Elissa and six other freshman House Democrats authored an opinion piece in the Washington Post calling for an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump: “Seven freshman Democrats: These allegations are a threat to all we have sworn to protect”.

Elissa serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the Homeland Security Committee, and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

The newly-drawn 7th district includes most of Elissa’s former constituents. When she announced her candidacy for the 2022 election, Elissa said: “This new district contains nearly two-thirds of the population that I currently represent, my current congressional headquarters, and my campaign offices from 2018 and 2020. After three years of representing this area of Mid-Michigan in Congress, I understand the mandate that families here expect me to prioritize: making daily life more affordable by lowering the cost of prescription drugs and child care; rebuilding Michigan’s manufacturing capacity by creating good-paying American jobs that cannot be outsourced; and not letting China eat our lunch.”

Elissa’s Republican opponent

Elissa’s opponent in the general election is Republican Tom Barrett. He is a member of Michigan’s state senate and a strong Trump supporter. Barrett joined a group of GOP legislative leaders on a trip to the White House after the 2020 election to meet with then-President Trump; he later co-wrote a letter with colleagues urging federal lawmakers to not certify the presidential election results. Barrett has strongly criticized national and state mask and vaccination requirements to prevent the spread of COVID; in August 2021 he contracted coronavirus.

Support for Elissa

When Joe Biden endorsed Elissa in 2018, he said: “Elissa Slotkin has served our country throughout her entire career, working in dangerous situations abroad and serving in top national security roles for both Democratic and Republican administrations. Over the years, she advised my team as a Pentagon official on some of the most difficult national security matters. I am proud to support her. She is part of a new generation of service-centered leaders that this country needs now more than ever.”

When Emily’s List endorsed Elissa for the 2022 election, it said: “EMILY’s List is proud to endorse Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin for reelection. As a former analyst for the CIA, Congresswoman Slotkin is an outspoken advocate for strong national security. Her commitment to protecting our country has led her to become Chair of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism, which is taking on the growing threat of domestic terrorism, as well as the co-chair of the bipartisan Defense Critical Supply Chain Task Force to protect military and national security supply chains. In Washington, Congresswoman Slotkin will continue to be a steadfast and essential voice in efforts to keep our country safe. We’re excited to continue supporting her.”

Elissa has a strong environmental record – a 96% lifetime score from League of Conservation Voters. She has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood, and a 0% rating from the National Rifle Association.

Elissa has been an outstanding congresswoman. Her expertise in combatting terrorism and extremism is invaluable. She needs our help; her 2022 race is forecast to be one of the closest in the nation.