Harris is ‘underwater’ in critical swing state, Democratic rep warns

Vice President Kamala Harris’s polling in the key battleground state of Michigan is “underwater,” a Democratic state representative has warned.

Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin has voiced growing concerns about the vice president’s chances of clinching the Wolverine State just weeks from the presidential election.

“I’m not feeling my best right now about where we are on Kamala Harris in a place like Michigan,” Slotkin said alongside New Jersey Senator Cory Booker at a fundraising event last Wednesday, according to a video obtained by Axios.

“We have her underwater in our polling.”

Despite Slotkin insinuating Harris is struggling to buoy her lead, the vice president has garnered a marginal 3-point lead over former president Donald Trump in Michigan, according to an analysis of the state’s presidential polls.

Trump won Michigan in the 2016 election against then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton but lost narrowly to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The state is seen as a key battleground in the 2024 election, with it being a ‘must-win’ for either party’s chances to secure the White House.

The Independent has contacted Slotkin’s spokesperson for more information.

It’s commonplace for campaigns to downplay their standing in the polls to create a heightened sense of urgency, and drive more votes.

Polls also show Slotkin with a wider lead over her opponent, former representative Mike Rogers in the state’s senate contest.

Holding on to Democratic senator Debbie Stabenow’s seat is critical for the Democrats to maintain control of the upper chamber.

Recent polling conducted by The New York Times/Siena College places Slotkin five points ahead of her Republican rival Rogers – with the Democrat leading 47 percent to 42 percent.

However, Republican internal polling shows that the candidates are neck-and-neck, a source told Axios. A recent poll from AtlasIntel has Trump leading Michigan 51 percent to Harris’s 47 percent.

It comes as a GOP super-PAC has poured millions of dollars into Rogers’ campaign as the Republicans desperately try to flip the seat.

Senate Leadership Fund, which is affiliated with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, has donated $22.5 million to Michigan’s senate contest – with the funds anticipated to be spent on television, radio and digital ads.

So far in the senate race, Slotkin has spent more than an estimated $10 million on ads, while Rogers has split advertising costs with the National Republican Senatorial Committee and has spent about $2.7 million.

The cash injection constitutes part of the PAC’s $67.5 million in new spending on advert space in Senate races in the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, according to the Wall Street Journal.