Michigan’s Vacant US Senate Seat – 2024’s True Sleeper Race?

The United States Senate race in Michigan is basically being ignored by the media and many Republicans. Republicans have not held a Senate seat since Spencer Abraham served one term in the late 1990s. In 2022, the state was a disaster for Republicans, yet despite this, the state remains deeply competitive. That is why the Senate race should be receiving more attention than it is. It could, with the right Republican candidate, be the sleeper race in 2024 and the race that tips the Senate to Republicans.

Except for 2008 and 2012, when Republicans did not contest Michigan, the state has been extremely close at the presidential level. In 2016, it was the deciding state for Donald Trump. Biden carried the state by a little less than 3% in 2020. In 2024, it will be a target state for both political parties. And state Republicans want a strong Senate candidate to help the entire ticket and regain the state house. Yet the National Republican Senatorial Committee has been AWOL in candidate recruitment. (RELATED: Lacking Offensive Strategy, Republicans Are Doomed To Lose Again)

While Democrats have a plethora of candidates, including Representative Elissa Slotkin and actor Harper Hill, Republicans are most notable for who have declined to run. The announced Republicans are seen as also-rans.

Others who expressed interest leave much to be desired. There is former Representative Mike Rogers, who indicated he would run for president, had moved to Florida, and is now talking about moving back to Michigan. There is former Representative Peter Mejer who earned the everlasting enmity of Trump supporters in supporting the second impeachment and was defeated in the 2022 Republican primary. And former Detroit Police Chief James Craig who was disqualified from running for governor in 2022 when he submitted fraudulent signatures to qualify for the ballot.

But now, a new name is emerging that could leave these lackluster candidates in the dust and make the state competitive.  Dr. Sherry O'Donnell of St. Joseph, Michigan, announced she is seriously considering a Senate bid. Dr. O'Donnell ran in the Republican primary in 2022 against longtime incumbent Tim Walberg. She raised large amounts of money in her bid and, despite the opposition of the state and national party, gave Walberg the toughest race in his career. She is currently the Michigan State Chair for U.S. Term Limits.

Her biography reads like something from the movies – medical doctor, humanitarian, author and businesswoman. In 2022, she went to war torn Ukraine to save lives leading a medical mission. Not a career politician, humanitarian service is a way of life for her. Whether it was the terrorist attack of 9/11, the Haitian earthquakes, the Indonesian tsunami, nine trips to NYC to treat COVID-19 during the original COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 or any of her 33 mission trips abroad, Dr. O'Donnell can always be counted upon to be in the first response: not with words but with action at her own expense.

She is a proven fundraiser. In 2022, she raised enormous funds against a sitting incumbent. She could bring this fundraising prowess to the Senate race. And let's be honest, to win the Senate race in Michigan, it will cost money, a lot of money.

Not a career politician, O'Donnell appeals to the grassroots activists but also can make inroads with Michigan's crucial independents. Without independents, Republicans cannot win Michigan. While the West Virginia, Ohio, and Montana Senate races are getting all the talk, Michigan may be the true sleeper race. The key will be, do Republicans go with the same old, or do they break the mold?

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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