By CHRISTIE

MASTRIC

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, wants to stop the polarization of politics, which is one of her goals as she seeks the seat of U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, who is not seeking re-election in 2024.

Slotkin is the U.S. representative for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, which includes downstate Livingston, Ingham, Clinton and Shiawassee counties as well as portions of Eaton, Oakland and Genesee counties.

Slotkin called herself a “national security person by training” as a former CIA officer and Pentagon official. According to her website, Slotkin served in various national security roles under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama at the CIA, White House and Pentagon, eventually serving as acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.

Slotkin spoke with The Mining Journal on Thursday about her priorities.

“One is just making sure that America is always a place where you can get in — and stay in — the middle class, and I think that we live in a state that invented the middle class, and we got a lot of people who have no shot to get in the middle class because of lack of opportunity,” Slotkin said.

She said she focuses a lot of time on housing, child care and good jobs with benefits to cover the “insane” costs of health care.

Another priority, Slotkin said, is the “made in America” issue.

“We started out with masks and gloves and gowns, but microchips and now pharmaceuticals are things that we just don’t make, either any of or most of, in the United States, and I have a real problem with that as a national security person,” she said.

Slotkin indicated she always wants to protect children from harm.

“The number one killer of children in the United States under 21 is gun violence, in our communities, in our schools by suicide and by accident,” she said.

Although she pointed out that she grew up with guns, Slotkin said she has no problem with responsible gun owners.

“But I think a country should go after the number one killer of children,” Slotkin said.

“The other things that are truly harming our kids are the ‘diseases of despair’ — mental health issues, suicide, opioid addiction, and then the thing that will affect our kids way more than us is climate change and change to our environment.”

Slotkin, 47, also wants to bring more “style” to government.

“I’ll be the youngest Democratic woman in the Senate if I win, which is crazy,” she said “I think we need to bring a bit of a different generation and culture into the U.S. Senate, given that our country is doing through something right now.”

That “something,” she noted, is a period of political instability.

“I just think we need a younger generation with a new approach to help tackle some of that political instability,” Slotkin said.

She might have a major challenge ahead of her.

“I’m a Democrat that represents a Republican Trump-voting district,” Slotkin said.

To solve that issue, she believes in appealing to a broad, bipartisan group of people.

“I don’t win just on Democrats alone, so that means even though we’re going through this period of political instability, I feel like it’s always my job to keep my arm out extended to the other side of the aisle, and try and work on the things where we still can get some agreement, because I don’t think our country will ever be a place where we can just filter out into red America and blue America,” she said.

Slotkin stressed she is a big believer in healthy two-party system.

“The mission in my mind is to help bring the country back to a place where we can debate and discuss ideas and the role of government without hitting our neighbors,” she said.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.