(ConservativeInsider.org) – Former Congressman Peter Meijer announced this Monday that he will be running in 2024 to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate. In a crowded field of more than a dozen hopefuls, Meijer ranks as one of three House members to run with former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers and Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin also throwing their hats in the ring.
This news follows the announcement that Senator Debbie Stabenow will not be running again. In a January press release, the Democratic senator wrote that while she commits to fervently serve the next two years of her tenure, she intends to begin a new chapter in life “that includes continuing to serve our State outside of elected office.” Stabenow, who was the first woman to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate, has represented the state for more than two decades.
Meijer, a former congressman from Michigan’s district, voted with ten other Republicans to uphold the second impeachment of President Donald Trump in 2021. The following year, Meijer would lose his reelection primary to Trump nominee, John Gibbs, who would later lose the general election to sitting Representative Hillary Scholten.
The announcement prompted a mixed response from the GOP at large, with National Republican Senatorial Committee Executive Director Jason Thielman even urging that Meijer “isn’t viable in a primary election,” for lack of voter enthusiasm. Where Republicans haven’t won a Michigan Senate seat in nearly thirty years, the time to whip a candidate into shape is at hand.
Although some party leaders hesitate to name their man in a crowded race, name recognition could prove to be a valuable bargaining chip in Meijer’s favor.
With a reputation for being a middle-of-the-road Representative, a moderate Republican angle amidst Michigan’s increasingly Democratic voting population might work in Meijer’s favor.
In the fight to flip blue states to red, any leverage that the GOP can use against Democratic holdfasts is worth its weight in gold.
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