Sen. Elissa Slotkin Admits ‘War Plan’ To Defeat Trump Agenda Is Not Enough To Retake Senate

Democratic Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin implied that her “war plan” to counter President Donald Trump and retake political control in Washington D.C. is not enough to retake control of the Senate — at least in 2026.

Slotkin, the freshman Democratic senator who led the party’s rebuttal to Trump’s joint address to Congress in March, acknowledged the party’s deep challenges to clawing their way out of the upper chamber’s minority in an interview with Politico published Thursday. Slotkin said Democrats should focus on retaking the House and that her “definition of success” for the Senate would be retaining the 47 seats Democrats already hold.

Slotkin said the best-case scenario for Senate Democrats would be adding one to two seats, but that would still put the conference several seats short of forming a majority.

The Michigan Democrat’s candor about her party’s electoral prospects appear to directly contradict Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s promise that Democrats would retake Senate control during the midterms.

“We are on offense,” Schumer told Semafor Wednesday. “I believe I will .”

Slotkin’s attempt to put the Democratic Party back on a path to electoral success entails significantly altering the party’s perception among voters who rejected Democratic candidates at the ballot box in November.

The senator said Democratic candidates must change the way they communicate with voters to project strength and reject identity 🏛️Politics. Elected Democrats should stop being “weak and woke” and emulate “the goddamn alpha energy” of Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell, according to Slotkin.