Democrat Elissa Slotkin wins US Senate race in Michigan, Edison Research projects

By Bo Erickson

(Reuters) – U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin, a third-term lawmaker with extensive national security experience, won election to the U.S. Senate in Michigan, Edison Research projected on Wednesday, a boost for Democrats trying to hold their majority in the chamber.

Slotkin beat Republican former Representative Mike Rogers in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow.

A former analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, Slotkin, 48, touted her bipartisan work on national security in the administrations of former presidents George W. Bush, a Republican, and Barack Obama, a Democrat.

Slotkin, a party moderate, focused on offering solutions for rising costs including prescription drugs and higher education, and defended abortion rights in her campaign. The state is home to the Detroit Three automakers and the industry’s powerful union, the UAW, endorsed Slotkin.

(Reporting by Bo Erickson; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis)