Elissa Slotkin faces Mike Rogers in Michigan U.S. Senate election

• Elissa Slotkin and Mike Rogers — both national security experts with Congressional experience — are facing off for open U.S. Senate seat
• U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow is retiring when her current term ends at the end of the year
• Race to replace her is competitive and could factor into which major party controls the U.S. Chamber

Michigan’s U.S. Senate matchup features Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin and Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers in the race to replace outgoing Sen. Debbie Stabenow. 

Open Senate races don’t come up often in Michigan, and Republicans haven’t won a Senate election in Michigan since Sen. Spencer Abraham’s win in 1994 (he was defeated by Stabenow six years later). 

Democrats are fighting hard to keep the streak going and believe Slotkin is well equipped to do so.

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Republicans, meanwhile, see in Rogers the chance to turn things around, both in Michigan and nationally. If the race remains competitive, Michigan could play a big role in national Republican efforts to flip the Senate, where Democrats currently hold a narrow majority. 

Both candidates have congressional experience, national security chops and a knack for winning close elections, along with steady funding streams bolstering their efforts from state and national groups. 

They each won commanding victories in their respective primary cycles, with Slotkin easily outpacing her lone opponent, actor Hill Harper, and Rogers handily defeating a field that included former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash. 

Though Michigan voters have favored Democrats in recent statewide elections, former President Donald Trump narrowly won the state in 2016, narrowly lost it in 2020 and is back atop the GOP ticket. 

The U.S. Senate seat is considered a true toss-up that could rely in large part on what happens at the top of the ticket. Here is a look at the candidates (this list will be updated when and if more third-party nominations and independent candidates are finalized):

Democrat - Elissa Slotkin: The sitting U.S. Representative for Michigan's 7th District, Slotkin has served in Congress since 2019. She previously worked as a Department of Defense official and analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency. 

Born in New York but raised in Oakland County, Slotkin has degrees from Cornell and Columbia universities. 

Slotkin has said one of her main priorities is addressing the “over-the-top” costs of child care, education, housing, health care and prescription drugs, backing an “opportunity agenda” to address disparities in those arenas. 

She’s also concerned about ongoing access to reproductive rights at the federal level, arguing that Michigan’s 2022 passage of state-level abortion rights could be jeopardized by future federal restrictions. 

Republican - Mike Rogers: The Livingston County Republican represented Michigan's 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House through 2014. In announcing his campaign, Rogers said he thought he had "put politics behind me" but was inspired to run for U.S. Senate because "something is broken." 

He recently moved back to Michigan from Florida, is a former FBI special agent and chaired the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Rogers previously criticized Trump and his allies for attempting to overturn 2020 election results but reconciled with the former president this year and accepted his endorsement in March.

Other top policy goals have included securing the U.S.-Mexico border, stopping the “economic threat” that China poses to the automotive industry, curbing violent crime and improving child literacy.

Libertarian - Joseph Solis-Mullen: Solis-Mullen, who lists a Marshall address in campaign filings, is a political scientist and economist at the Libertarian Institute and a history professor at Spring Arbor University, according to the Libertarian Party of Michigan. He was nominated at the party’s July convention. 

The Libertarian Party advocates for personal liberty over government intervention and considers taxation "theft," according to its platform. 

U.S Taxpayers - Dave Stein: Stein, who lists an Essexville address in campaign filings, advanced to the general election ballot through nomination at a U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan convention in July. 

The party is anti-abortion, supports limited taxation, education reform and property rights, among other things. 

Green Party - Douglas Marsh: Marsh lists a West Branch address in campaign filings and was nominated by the Green Party at a June convention. 

On his campaign website, Marsh describes himself as a community journalist and a "normal guy" who is "unconnected to billionaires or the C.I.A." He supports a ceasefire in Gaza, clean water, housing market reforms and single-payer health care.

Natural Law - Doug Dern: Dern, who chairs the state's Natural Law Party, lists a Highland address in campaign filings. He was also the party's nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020 but finished a distant fifth with less than 1% of the vote. He's also run unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor and the Michigan Supreme Court. 

The party's website advocates for lower taxes and a focus on the "root cause" of crime and other problems.