Meet Elissa Slotkin, the Unconventional Democrat Rebutting Trump’s Speech

Elissa Slotkin will have the eyes of the nation on her Tuesday night when she gives the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s first joint congressional address of his second presidential term on Tuesday night.

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The first-term Michigan senator, who was announced for the role by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries last Thursday, is expected to send a message that the Democratic Party represents the interests of working-class families. Her rebuttal comes at a time when Democrats are struggling to present a unified opposition strategy to Trump.

Read More: Facing 4 More Years of Trump, Democrats Can’t Agree on a Plan

“The public expects leaders to level with them on what’s actually happening in our country,” Slotkin said in a statement. “From our economic security to our national security, we’ve got to chart a way forward that actually improves people’s lives in the country we all love, and I’m looking forward to laying that out.” New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat will deliver the Spanish-language Democratic response.

The post-presidential-address rebuttal is widely seen as an opportunity for emerging party leaders to take the spotlight. Schumer described Slotkin as a “rising star” who will “offer a bold vision of hope, unity, and a brighter future for everyone, not just the wealthy few at the top.” During President Joe Biden’s term, his addresses to Congress were rebutted by Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott; while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, former Georgia Rep. Stacey Abrams, former Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy III, and former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear rebutted Trump’s first-term addresses.

Here’s what to know about Slotkin.

From CIA analyst to congresswoman

After graduating with a masters degree in international affairs from Columbia University, Slotkin was recruited to be a Middle East analyst for the CIA. Fluent in Arabic and Swahili, she served three tours in Iraq with the U.S. military. She then served in national security roles at the White House during both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. During the latter, her work ranged from combatting ISIS to U.S.-Russia relations.

Part of the Democrats’ hope in Slotkin may be due to her ability to win over more conservative voters. Slotkin ran for Congress in 2018, flipping a Republican-held seat and helping Democrats regain a House majority. Her campaign, she said, was inspired by watching her mother die from ovarian cancer in 2011, after her family struggled to afford life-saving care against insurance price gouging. 

Slotkin drew nationwide attention—including both protests and support—when she announced at a town hall in 2019 that she backed Trump’s impeachment. She nevertheless went on to win reelection in 2020 and again in 2022.

In February, 2023, Slotkin threw her hat in the ring to succeed Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D, Mich.). Her campaign targeted split-ticket voters, emphasizing affordable healthcare, costs of living, and jobs for working and middle class Americans, while taking a moderate stance on gun laws. She narrowly beat Republican Mike Rogers, becoming the youngest Democratic woman elected to the Senate. She was one of four Democrats to win Senate races in states won by Trump.

A new direction for Democrats

“I personally think that identity politics needs to go the way of the dodo,” the 48-year-old, who describes herself as a third-generation Michigander, told NBC News after the 2024 election. “People need to be looked at as independent Americans, whatever group they’re from, whatever party they may be from.”

Slotkin has broken from her party’s positions on several issues, and was scored as one of the most bipartisan House members. She has opposed abolishing the death penalty, reserving its use for rare cases; was one of 12 Senate Democrats to vote for the Laken Riley Act that mandates harsher detention rules for undocumented immigrants suspected of theft or violent crimes; and drew criticism after voting for an amendment in 2023 preventing Department of Defense facilities from displaying non-official flags, including Pride flags. (Slotkin said she wished to ban “hateful flags” like the Confederate flag and would “rather support a no-flag policy than allow hateful imagery above U.S. military bases”; she has been endorsed by the LGBTQ+ rights group Human Rights Campaign and voted in favor of gender-affirming care for military families.)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Slotkin will demonstrate that “Democrats are fighting to lower the cost of living and protect Social Security and Medicaid while Republicans cut taxes for their billionaire donors and Elon Musk.”

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