Elissa Slotkin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elissa Slotkin
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Official portrait, 2025
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| United States Senator from Michigan |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2025 Serving with Gary Peters
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| Preceded by | Debbie Stabenow |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan |
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| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Mike Bishop |
| Succeeded by | Tom Barrett |
| Constituency |
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| Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs | |
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Acting
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| In office November 14, 2014 – January 20, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Derek Chollet |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Handelman (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Elissa Blair Slotkin
July 10, 1976 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
David Moore
(m. 2011; div. 2023) |
| Education | Cornell University (BA) Columbia University (MIA) |
| Awards | Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service |
Elissa Blair Slotkin (born July 10, 1976) is an American politician. Since 2025, she has been a U.S. Senator for Michigan. This means she helps make laws for the entire country. Before that, from 2019 to 2025, she was a U.S. Representative for Michigan. Her district covered areas from Lansing to the northern suburbs of Detroit.
Elissa Slotkin is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming a politician, she worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Department of Defense. In 2024, she was elected to the U.S. Senate. She is the second woman from Michigan to become a U.S. Senator.
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Early Life and Education
Elissa Slotkin was born in New York City on July 10, 1976. Her parents are Curt and Judith Slotkin. She is from a Jewish family. Elissa grew up on a farm in Holly, Michigan. She went to Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills.
Her family's farm was part of a company called Hygrade Meat Company. Her grandfather, Hugo Slotkin, started it. This company created Ball Park Franks, which are famous hot dogs.
Elissa went to Cornell University and earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in sociology in 1998. Later, she got a Master of International Affairs (MIA) degree from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs in 2003.
Early Career and Government Work
After finishing graduate school, Elissa Slotkin joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). She can speak Arabic and Swahili. She worked three times in Iraq as a CIA analyst, studying important information.
During the time George W. Bush was president, she worked on issues related to Iraq for the National Security Council. When Barack Obama was president, she worked for the State Department and the Department of Defense. From 2015 to 2017, she was the acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. This role involved helping with security matters between the U.S. and other countries.
In 2017, Elissa left the Defense Department and moved back to her family's farm in Holly. She started her own business called Pinpoint Consulting. Since 2019, she has also been part of important groups like the Transatlantic Task Force.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Elissa Slotkin served in the United States House of Representatives from 2019 to 2025. She represented Michigan's 8th district, which later became the 7th district due to changes.
House Elections
2018 Election
In July 2017, Elissa Slotkin announced she would run for Congress in Michigan's 8th district. She decided to run after seeing her opponent, Mike Bishop, celebrate a vote to change the Affordable Care Act. She won the Democratic primary election in August 2017.
In November 2018, Elissa Slotkin won the election against Mike Bishop. She was the first Democrat to represent that district since 2001.
2020 Election
Elissa Slotkin was reelected to her seat in 2020. She won against Republican Paul Junge.
2022 Election
Because of new district maps, Elissa Slotkin ran for reelection in Michigan's 7th congressional district in 2022. She won this election against Republican Tom Barrett. This was one of the most expensive House races that year.
Committee Work in the House
While in the House, Elissa Slotkin worked on several important committees. Committees are groups of lawmakers who focus on specific topics.
- Committee on Armed Services: This committee deals with military and defense issues.
- Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities
- Subcommittee on Readiness (vice chair)
- Committee on Homeland Security: This committee focuses on protecting the country from threats.
- Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence (chair)
- Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs: This committee helps people who have served in the military.
- Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
House Group Memberships
Elissa Slotkin was also part of special groups in the House:
- New Democrat Coalition: A group of moderate Democrats.
- Problem Solvers Caucus: A group of lawmakers from both parties who work together to find solutions.
Serving in the U.S. Senate
Senate Elections
2024 Election
On February 27, 2023, Elissa Slotkin announced she would run for the U.S. Senate in Michigan. The seat was opening because Senator Debbie Stabenow was retiring. Elissa won the Democratic primary election in August 2024. She then narrowly won the general election against Republican Mike Rogers.
Senate Committee Work
As a U.S. Senator, Elissa Slotkin serves on these committees:
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Political Views
Elissa Slotkin is known as a moderate Democrat. This means her political views are often in the middle, not too far left or right. She has often voted in agreement with President Joe Biden's policies.
Health Care
Elissa Slotkin supports the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. She believes it's very important to protect health care for people with existing medical conditions. She also supports allowing Medicare, a government health program, to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, she supported government aid packages to help people and businesses.
Gun Policy
In 2022, Elissa Slotkin voted for a bill that would ban certain types of assault weapons.
Campaign Finance Reform
In 2022, Elissa Slotkin supported a bill called the Ban Corporate PACs Act. If passed, this law would stop companies from running political action committees, which are groups that raise money for political campaigns.
Personal Life
Elissa Slotkin married Dave Moore in 2011. He was a retired Army colonel and an Apache helicopter pilot. They met in Baghdad when Elissa was working in Iraq. They lived in Holly, Michigan. They filed for divorce in 2023. Elissa had two stepdaughters during her marriage to Dave.
Images for kids
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Official portrait of Elissa Slotkin.
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Elissa Slotkin during her time in the Obama administration.
See also
- List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
