Elissa Slotkin endorses Matt Maasdam in Democratic primary for her former House seat

U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) is putting her political capital behind Matt Maasdam as he seeks the Democratic Party nomination for the 7th Congressional District in the Aug. 4 primary.

The district was represented by Slotkin before she ran for the U.S. Senate in 2024. It is currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte), who won the seat after Slotkin ran for the Senate seat vacated by the retirement of former U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing).

“Mid-Michigan is where it all began for me, representing this district — from Charlotte, to Lansing, to Owosso, to Brighton, to South Lyon — in the U.S. House for six years,” Slotkin said in a statement. “Matt has spent his life serving our country as a Navy SEAL and in the White House for President Obama. When he retired from the military, he chose to move back to Michigan to raise his family. Matt could have chosen lots of other paths, but he believes that service to the people of Michigan is the most important path he can take.”

Maasdam is running in a tight race against former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and Lansing progressive organizer Will Lawrence.

Slotkin’s endorsement gives Maasdam the backing of one of Michigan’s highest-profile Democratic elected officials, and an equally forceful source of opposition against the administration of President Donald Trump.

Slotkin added that Michigan needs “fighters, and whether it is standing up to President Trump’s attacks on our democracy, taking on the corruption and special interests, or standing up for working people,” Maasdam “knows what it means to fight.”

“I look forward to working alongside Matt to win the primary election in August, and then flip this seat in November to re-take the House majority,” Slotkin said.

Maasdam is a retired Navy SEAL who also served as a White House military aide carrying the nuclear codes for former President Barack Obama. Maasdam’s campaign has rejected corporate PAC dollars and calls for banning members of Congress from trading stocks. His platform also calls for lowering costs for families over tax breaks for billionaires and corporations.

He said in a statement that he was “incredibly honored” to have Slotkin’s support, calling her a “singular leader who has shown Democrats in mid-Michigan and across the country how to take on tough fights and win.”

“She never sits back when the stakes are high, and we are lucky to have her fighting for Michigan every day,” Maasdam said of Slotkin. “No one understands this district, its voters, or what it takes to win here better than Senator Slotkin. I’m grateful for her trust in me, and I’m ready to follow her example: fight for every vote, defeat Tom Barrett, flip this seat, and help take back the House so we can put a check on Donald Trump.”