New Jersey native Mallory McMorrow on Wednesday launched her campaign to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate, the first to enter the race to replace Sen. Gary Peters.
The announcement came with a campaign video that targets both MAGA Republicans and her own party, mocking Democrats’ “little paddles” approach to rebuking the 47th POTUS as “the same old crap out of Washington.”
“We need new leaders in Washington,” McMorrow posted to X with the video. “I’m running for Senate to be one. Let’s go.”
The roughly two-and-a-half-minute video highlights McMorrow’s “accomplishments” in the state Senate, where she worked with a Democratic government trifecta to impose red flag laws and universal background checks on gun owners, repeal the state’s right-to-work law, expand abortion rights, and include gender identity in the state’s civil rights protections.
McMorrow has also championed free drivers licenses for illegal immigrants and repeatedly refused to answer whether she supports men in women’s sports.
McMorrow’s campaign video aimed to leverage the 38-year-old’s social media moment in 2022, when a video clip of her defending her support for LGBTQ policies in a floor speech went viral.
The speech helped McMorrow raise nearly $1.2 million in donations, with 85% of the money flowing in from out of state, according to MLive.
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Peters announced in December he will not seek a third term, providing a rare second open seat for the U.S. Senate in consecutive elections. Democrat and former Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin narrowly defeated former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers last year to fill the first open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan since 2015, when Peters replaced Democratic. Sen. Carl Levin.
Republicans currently hold what’s effectively a 53-47 majority in the upper chamber, and Peters’ exit provides an opportunity to expand that advantage. McMorrow is the first candidate to declare a run for what’s expected to be a competitive race.
Others Democrats considering a run include U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, of Birmingham, U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, of Bay City, former state House Speaker Joe Tate, of Detroit, and Abdul El-Dayed, who served as Wayne County’s health director until he stepped down on Tuesday, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Potential Republican candidates include Rogers, Congressman Bill Huizenga, of Zeeland, and 2022 gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon.
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In comments to media outlets on Tuesday, McMorrow attempted to downplay her progressive politics, suggesting she’s focused on a “New American Dream” that would serve as “a direct counter to Make America Great Again,” according to the Free Press.
“Our message is going to be that the status quo ― for even our own party ― is not working. That standing behind a podium in front of the Capitol in D.C. and saying, ‘We’re fighting, we’re winning,’ and then turning around to text people to ask for $5 is, frankly, bullshit,” McMorrow told The Detroit News, adding that it’s time for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, to go.
“This is not about where you fall on the political spectrum,” McMorrow added. “This is about your approach. Do you listen to people? Do you show up? Do you connect with voters in a way that they trust ― that you treat them not as just a number, but as a true part of the team.”
That approach will not win McMorrow the Democratic nomination, Adrian Hemond, CEO of Grassroots Midwest, told The News.
“I think a lot of whether she has success in trying to secure the Democratic nomination is dependent on who else gets in, so stay tuned,” the Democratic consultant said. “There’s more name-brand Democrats who could get into this race and make it difficult for her.”
It’s an easy decision to attack your own party when national Senate Democrats “don’t want her,” Hemond said. “They are going to have a favored candidate in this race, and it will not be her.”
Republican political consultant Jason Cabel Roe shared a similar take, telling The News McMorrow’s “smug” approach is exactly the reason folks loathe the Democratic Party.
“I hope and pray that she is the nominee,” Roe said.