On the ground in Michigan, many races seem balanced on a razor’s edge.
Since August, our team has knocked on over 120,000 doors and we’ve endorsed candidates in 25 key state and federal races. We are anticipating a high turnout election and several of our most critical races are currently seen as toss ups.
In an election that will be decided by who shows up to vote, the work that we do at Clean Water Action truly matters.
Not only what we do in election season, but what we do year-round, educating our members and the public about critical issues and engaging more people in the democratic process. This year-round work is what builds an active and engaged electorate; a movement that holds lawmakers accountable. Only this sort of broad-based movement building can bloom into a counter-balance to the fossil fuel industry and other industrial forces that value profits over people and the resources on which we all rely.
One of the key races we’re working on right now is the open US Senate race in Michigan between Elissa Slotkin and Mike Rogers. Slotkin has been our Congresswoman in Lansing since 2018. As a national security expert, she has a unique perspective on water and climate change not just as environmental prerogatives but as threats to national security and global stability. She has been a consistent vote for protecting the Great Lakes and addressing the climate crisis, and unlike almost anyone else running for Senate, she takes no corporate PAC money.
The difference between Slotkin and her opponent couldn’t be more stark. Mike Rogers also served the Lansing area in Congress in the early 2000s, but here’s how he got there- as State Senate Majority Leader, right before his first run for Congress, he passed what became known as “Rogers Law.” Rogers Law changed state election law and made it much harder for college students to vote. The margin he won his Congressional race by was smaller than the number of Michigan State University students who could no longer vote on campus in his district. He won by disenfranchising college students and he hasn’t improved with time.
Like Donald Trump, Mike Rogers is bankrolled by some of the biggest fossil fuel companies in the world. And why wouldn’t they want Mike Rogers back in Washington? After all, he voted twice so far in his career to allow oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes. How will he sell us out for his oil and gas industry friends this time if they succeed in buying him a seat in the US Senate? We don’t want to find out.
When it comes to standing up for Michigan families and communities, and understanding the issues that matter most to people (not corporations) the choice is clear - Elissa Slotkin will move us forward. Tomorrow, we all have the opportunity to make a difference in this race and to help build a movement that will create a better future for our country.
Wherever you are, vote today if you haven’t yet, sign up to volunteer here, and if you can, please make a financial contribution today. Our work doesn’t stop when the election is over.
