As many of you know, I come from a world of war planning. I come from a world where you can't just play defense and expect to succeed.
After spending another few weeks back home in Michigan, I heard consistently that people feel like President Trump is doing a whole bunch of things that threaten our economy and our democracy – but that Democrats don't really have a coherent plan to stop him now, or to win elections in the future.
They tell me that they want leaders to do more than just sit back and wait for bad things to happen and hope people vote against it – they want leadership that meets this moment in history and gives people something to vote FOR.
Earlier this week, I gave a speech in Lansing, Michigan – the district where it all began for me – that lays out my best stab at a vision for where I believe the Democrats must go from here.
Watch some clips here: https://x.com/ElissaSlotkin/status/1915912216483709050
And here: https://x.com/ElissaSlotkin/status/1916149351694401885
It starts with what has always been the issues that remain my North Star: focusing on what keeps people in Michigan up at night: their pocketbooks and their kids.
But it also includes a plan to reclaim patriotism and bring some alpha energy back into the mix. The Republicans have owned the flag since Reagan was in office. And they no longer deserve it.
Trump is acting like a king, disobeying orders from the Supreme Court, threatening to run for a third term, and trying to dismantle our democracy. So in defending it, Democrats should do their part to reclaim the flag, and wave it high. Because after all — we love our country and we want it to be better.
Any serious plan to push back on Trump needs to clearly define what success looks like. No, we aren't going to stop Donald Trump and the Republican Party on everything. They control the White House, the House and the Senate.
But we can mobilize ourselves and our networks to ensure this Administration is following court orders and respecting the separation of powers.
Success looks like having free and fair elections in 2026, and winning back the House and Senate.
Success looks like rebuilding the brand of the party to appeal to enough voters to win elections and take power.
And, critically, it means bringing the middle of the country – not just the base of the Party – into the fight, to organize around pocketbook issues, like the successful ACA fight in Trump’s first term.
If we can do that, I think we'd call it a success.
My hope over the next few months is to share a vision for what I believe we can organize around, that can help stop the worst impulses of the Trump administration, protect our democracy for the future, and win back the House and Senate in 2026 and the White House in 2028.
I know it sounds like a daunting task, but I also know that our democracy, no matter how messy, is unparalleled and worth fighting for.
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Thank you for reading,
Elissa Slotkin[>
PAID FOR BY ELISSA SLOTKIN FOR MICHIGAN
P.O. Box 4145
East Lansing, MI 48826
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Elissa Slotkin served in the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense. Use of her job titles and photographs during service do not imply endorsement by the Central Intelligence Agency OR the Department of Defense.
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