Michigan voters to choose party candidates for crucial Senate race in battleground state

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan voters could play a major role in choosing who the next president will be — and they could also determine which major party controls Congress in 2025. Next week’s party primaries over an open U.S. Senate seat and two congressional races in the battleground state will set the stage for November.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin has the inside track for her party’s nomination to the Senate against a challenge from a television actor. Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and the financial backing of national Republicans in the race for his party’s nomination.

Slotkin and Rogers are looking to fill the seat long held by Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who announced in early 2023 she would not seek reelection. Democrats currently maintain a narrow margin in the Senate but are defending far more seats in this year’s elections.

The political drama in Michigan extends further down the ballot as well. Slotkin’s Senate bid puts a House seat up for grabs, one of two in Michigan that are expected to be competitive in November. With Republicans defending a narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, the outcomes of the Michigan contests could have national implications. And Michigan Republicans themselves are looking to regain control of the state House of Representatives lost in 2022.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true»