Democrat Elissa Slotkin wins Michigan's open Senate seat, defeating the GOP's Mike Rogers

DETROIT (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin has won Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, giving Democrats a bittersweet victory in a swing state that also backed Republican President-elect Donald Trump in his successful bid to return to the White House.

Slotkin, a third-term representative, defeated former Republican congressman Mike Rogers. Democrats have held both Senate seats in Michigan for decades, but were left without retiring incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow this year.

Michigan’s was among a handful of Senate races Democrats struggled to defend. They lost their U.S. Senate majority despite Slotkin’s narrow win.

The race was incredibly close. Just minutes before it was called for Slotkin, she addressed supporters in Detroit, acknowledging that many voters may have cast their ballots for her while also supporting Trump, who won the state’s electoral votes over Democrat Kamala Harris.

“It's my responsibility to get things done for Michiganders. No matter who’s in office, just as I did in President Trump’s first term," said Slotkin. “I’m a problem solver and I will work with anyone who is actually here to work.”

Slotkin’s win provides some solace for Democrats in the state, many of whom entered Election Day with high confidence following sweeping victories in the 2022 midterms. Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer still controls the executive branch and Democrats held onto the Senate, but Republicans won a majority of state House seats this election.

And Republicans also captured a mid-Michigan seat vacated by Slotkin, considered one of the most competitive races in the country.

The presidential race at the top of the ticket was expected to heavily influence the outcome, but Slotkin became the second Democrat to win a U.S. Senate race in a battleground state that also backed Trump for president, following Wisconsin incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin earlier Wednesday.

Trump won Michigan in 2016 by just over 10,000 votes, marking the first time a Republican presidential candidate had secured the state in nearly three decades. This time, he expanded that margin to about 80,000 votes.

Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, launched her Senate campaign shortly after Stabenow announced her retirement in early 2023. With a largely uncontested primary, Slotkin built a significant fundraising advantage and poured it into advertising. Her high-profile supporters included former President Barack Obama and Stabenow, who helped her on the campaign trail.

On the Republican side, Rogers faced multiple challengers for the party’s nomination, including former Reps. Justin Amash and Peter Meijer, the latter of whom withdrew before the Aug. 6 primary. Rogers served in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2015 and chaired the House Intelligence Committee.

Rogers called Slotkin to concede soon after The Associated Press called the race, both campaigns confirmed.

“Congratulations to Congresswoman Slotkin on her victory, I wish her the best as she serves the people of Michigan in the Senate," Rogers said in a statement.

Slotkin’s victory extends the Republicans’ losing streak in Michigan U.S. Senate races, where no GOP candidate has won since 1994. Michigan’s other Democratic senator, Gary Peters, is serving a term that ends in 2027.

Slotkin and other Michigan Democrats focused much of their campaigns on reproductive rights, arguing that Republican opponents would back a national abortion ban, although Rogers said he wouldn't. How effectively the issue motivated voting in a state where reproductive rights were enshrined in the constitution by Michigan voters in 2022 remained to be seen.

About 4 in 10 Michigan voters said the economy and jobs is the top issue facing the country, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 110,000 voters nationally, including about 3,700 voters in Michigan. About 2 in 10 Michigan voters said immigration is the most pressing issue, and roughly 1 in 10 named abortion.

Slotkin used her funding advantage to establish her narrative early, aiming to connect both with her base and disillusioned Republicans.

“We all know that it’s been a tough election season,” Slotkin said Wednesday in Detroit. “I believe in my bones that America is at its best when we have two healthy parties that push and pull and debate on issues of policy and substance and make our laws better.”

She added, “That’s what our founding fathers intended, and it’s what makes our country great.”

Democratic Sen.-elect Elissa Slotkin of Michigan addresses the media, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Rep. Elissa Slotkin leaves the stage after speaking at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Rep. Elissa Slotkin speaks during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Rep. Elissa Slotkin speaks during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Rep. Elissa Slotkin speaks during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Rep. Elissa Slotkin speaks during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers speaks during an election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, at Suburban Showplace Collection in Novi, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers, left, and his wife, Kristi Clemens Rogers, right, look up at screens during an election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, at Suburban Showplace Collection in Novi, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers speaks during an election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, at Suburban Showplace Collection in Novi, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers greets supporters during an election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, at Suburban Showplace Collection in Novi, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers greets supporters during an election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, at Suburban Showplace Collection in Novi, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers speaks during an election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, at Suburban Showplace Collection in Novi, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Rep. Elissa Slotkin speaks during an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

FILE - This combination of images shows from left, Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers in University Center, Mich., on Oct. 3, 2024, and opponent U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., in Detroit, on Sept. 2, 2024. (AP Photo Alex Brandon, left; and AP Photo Paul Sancya, File)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)