This story has been updated to reflect that James’ campaign has said he’s seeking re-election and that Gilchrist will not run
Republican Rep. John James and a pair of Democrats, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, have all said over the last few days that they won’t run to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow in Michigan, moves that come at a time when neither party has a prominent announced candidate. As we'll discuss, though, that state of affairs may soon change for Wolverine State Democrats, while Republicans are still looking for a strong contender of their own.
James’ decision not to wage a third campaign for the upper chamber after losing expensive battles in 2018 and 2020 may not delight Senate recruiters, but it’s a welcome development for House Republicans. Michigan’s 10th District in the Detroit suburbs backed Trump only 50-49, though James himself beat Democrat Carl Marlinga just 48.8-48.3 last year in an open seat race that the two largest Democratic outside groups spent nothing on.
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However, another Michigan House member from the other side of the aisle may be running soon. Rep. Elissa Slotkin has been talked about in the media as a likely candidate pretty much from the moment that Stabenow retired last month, and Detroit News reporter Craig Mauger said Friday she is "expected to announce soon." Simon Schuster writes in MLive.com that actor Hill Harper is also "privately telling Democrats he intended to run," while an unnamed source says we should anticipate an announcement from "The Good Doctor" cast member in what Schuster describes as "the near future."
Wolverine State Democrats are also watching to see if Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson will get in. Benson didn't rule anything out to Schuster but sounded reluctant, saying that "my heart is committed to doing the work that Michiganders hired me to do."
A number of Republicans have expressed interest in seeking this seat as well, but there's no word if any of them are close to running. The only notable declared candidate is state Board of Education member Nikki Snyder, who failed to even make the ballot in 2020 when she tried to challenge Slotkin.