DES MOINES, Iowa \u2014 Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan, pitched herself here Tuesday as an advocate for Midwest pragmatism that she believes can help her party \u2014 and the country \u2014 navigate past the stormy politics of President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using her keynote address at a Polk County Democratic Party dinner to underline Iowa\u2019s political influence as a potential early contest in the 2028 presidential race, Slotkin urged her audience to vet White House hopefuls carefully<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou guys are Iowa,\u201d Slotkin said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to see every Tom, Dick and Harry candidate come through here, right? I want you to ask what their offensive plan is, their Project 2029. What is their value proposition that they\u2019re going to offer to the American people that is going to offer an alternative to what Trump is doing, rather than just pointing at him and saying, \u2018He\u2019s bad, he\u2019s bad, he\u2019s bad, he\u2019s bad?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slotkin, who has been building a national presence since narrowly winning her Senate seat in 2024, is viewed as a possible presidential candidate. Her speech ended a packed day of politicking for Slotkin in a state that previously held Democrats\u2019 first presidential caucuses and is angling to host an early nominating contest again in 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over lunch in nearby Indianola, Slotkin plied a small focus group of Trump voters with questions about what made an ideal presidential candidate. Later, in a private room at a craft beer bar blocks from the state Capitol, she campaigned alongside state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat running to flip a Republican congressional seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI feel a kinship with the rest of the Midwest,\u201d Slotkin, whose recent travels have also taken her to places like Pittsburgh and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, responded when a reporter asked her about her decision to visit Iowa. \u201cUs Midwestern Democrats need to stick together. It\u2019s a tough thing to be a Midwestern Democrat, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSometimes,\u201d Slotkin added, \u201cthe national party forgets about the middle of the country or forgets about us until the federal elections or national elections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When pressed about whether she sees herself as a national candidate in 2028, Slotkin answered somewhat coyly \u2014 but pointedly did not rule out a presidential bid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know, the minute you try and set foot in Iowa, the people kind of lose their minds a little bit,\u201d she began, before reiterating her commitment to the Midwest and desire to elevate Democrats in Republican-leaning districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf I can be a part of that change \u2014 and now I\u2019m a senator, so I have a bigger opportunity to do that \u2014 I\u2019m here for that,\u201d Slotkin added. \u201cI\u2019m not announcing anything. There\u2019s no big, you know, whatever, announcement to be made. But, yeah, do I want to be in that national conversation and push my own party to be better, because I like winning and I don\u2019t like when people who try to destroy democracy are in the White House? Yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an interview with NBC News, Slotkin went a bit further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m literally not arrogant enough to think that I\u2019m the only person who can do this,\u201d she said. \u201cIf there was someone who I really felt had what it takes to win, I\u2019d get behind that person. I\u2019m a new senator. I\u2019m new to this level of elected office. But if we get through the midterms, and I don\u2019t see it emerging from other leaders as they start to announce, and people decide and don\u2019t decide, you know, I wouldn\u2019t rule it out. But there\u2019s a long road before we get there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing the Polk County Democrats, Slotkin spoke of a \u201cconstant state of chaos and urgency\u201d under Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs there anyone else,\u201d she asked, \u201cwho, every couple of days just needs to, like, check out and watch bad trash television?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democrats, Slotkin said in her remarks, need to have \u201can honest conversation\u201d about their future and how they can win again in tough states like Iowa, which has favored Trump in three straight elections after backing President Barack Obama twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know, we used to talk about, are you a progressive or are you a moderate?\u201d Slotkin said. \u201cThat\u2019s not the debate anymore. The debate is not between progressive and moderate. It\u2019s fight or flight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are plenty of people that I serve with who are on Team Flight,\u201d she added. \u201cAnd I will tell you that I am a good Midwestern Democrat. I fall more on the pragmatic and moderate side of the house, but I am on Team Fight 100%.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump last year accused Slotkin and other Democratic lawmakers of \u201cseditious behavior\u201d \u2014 \u201cpunishable by death,\u201d in his words \u2014 after they posted a video urging military and intelligence officers to \u201crefuse illegal orders\u201d from the Trump administration. Slotkin received a bomb threat at her home after Trump\u2019s accusation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump\u2019s Justice Department, meanwhile, tried but failed to secure indictments against Slotkin and her colleagues. After her event here with Trone Garriott, Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and Pentagon aide, weighed in on Trump\u2019s threat earlier in the day to launch a destructive attack on civilian infrastructure in Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just know,\u201d Slotkin said, \u201cas someone who literally made a video in November telling uniformed military that if they\u2019re asked to do something illegal, they have a responsibility to push back right according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice \u2014 we made that video for moments exactly like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Slotkin\u2019s eagerness to present herself as a reasonable Midwesterner who can talk to people on both sides of the political spectrum was the more prevalent theme of her day in Iowa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re in this room, I don\u2019t know if you\u2019re a Democrat or a Republican or an independent, but we\u2019re Midwesterners,\u201d Slotkin said at the Trone Garriott event, which focused on health care affordability. \u201cWe know that our neighbors often vote differently than we do, right? \u2026 My dad was a lifelong Republican, my mom a lifelong Democrat. It was totally normal when I was growing up to do that. We were more likely to fight Michigan versus Michigan State than Democrat versus Republican.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slotkin then took a dramatic bow and cheered the Michigan Wolverines\u2019 victory the night before in the NCAA men\u2019s basketball tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll win it pretty, we\u2019ll win it messy,\u201d Slotkin said. \u201cBut we won it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later, at the dinner, Slotkin praised Trone Garriott. \u201cIt is nice,\u201d Slotkin said, \u201cto watch another Midwestern badass woman in action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to reporters after their joint event, Trone Garriott emphasized why she found Slotkin\u2019s visit significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt means a lot to me as a Democrat that has consistently won in Republican districts, to have a Democrat that has consistently won in Republican districts to show up and support me,\u201d Trone Garriott said. \u201cPeople are upset with the political system as it is. They\u2019re mad at both parties for good reason.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That type of frustration was on the menu at the focus group lunch organized by Majority Democrats, a political organization that Slotkin and others are using to advance a new course for their party. The five participants had responded to an ad seeking open-minded potential swing voters and were paid $200 for their time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slotkin introduced herself as a senator from Michigan but avoided mention of her political affiliation until the end. As she took small bites from her turkey sandwich, Slotkin conversationally surveyed the three women and two men seated at her table. Her questions ranged from open-ended \u2014 \u201cWhat\u2019s your hot take?\u201d she asked them twice \u2014 to precise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you could build a candidate in a test tube to be your ideal,\u201d she wondered at one point, \u201cwhat would that look like? How could someone say, \u2018OK, I\u2019m going to restore your faith?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then, probing into why they supported Trump over then-Vice President Kamala Harris, Slotkin asked: \u201cWhat would have gotten you to actually consider a Democrat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The people around the table said they wanted a candidate who is bold, but also kind and genuine. And they preferred someone who is independent and doesn\u2019t vote in lockstep with their party. One of the men, Ed Klavins, a retiree from Urbandale, grumbled about how Harris infamously said that she couldn\u2019t think of anything she would have done differently than President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI remember,\u201d Slotkin said, \u201cthat exact moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Klavins, who cited political commentator Bill Maher and Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania as Democrats he admires, told reporters after the lunch that he found Slotkin genuine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI liked her,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later, in her interview with NBC News, Slotkin said she didn\u2019t believe there was one moment that doomed Harris\u2019 campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut there were certainly certain ads and certain appearances that I remember, like, stopping in my tracks,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I remember that one, and I just said, \u2018That\u2019s not going to work.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n