Slotkin’s Tuesday visit to Iowa reflected a two-track campaign approach: courting Trump voters in red and purple states while also pressing the Democratic message on health care and competitiveness ahead of November. In Indianola, the Michigan senator sat down with a group of President Donald Trump’s supporters, posing questions about politics in the United States and about what voters want from candidates.
The meeting followed a focus-group lunch where Slotkin, described as a potential Democratic 2028 presidential contender, “peppered five Iowa voters with questions” about divisiveness and community concerns. As the discussion wound down, she asked one participant what would have gotten him to “actually consider a Democrat,” before revealing she was the Democrat herself.
Slotkin also asked what voters would look for if they could “build a candidate in a test tube,” and she pressed the group on why they chose Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. The outreach was organized by a PAC dedicated to reshaping the party, Majority Democrats, and it also served as an introduction to voters in her host state who, many of whom were not familiar with her, were being asked to evaluate what would persuade them across party lines.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Slotkin said she is “pretty clear-eyed about the problems” and “interested in being a part of the next generation who’s going to rehab the Democratic brand.” She told voters that she believes the Democratic Party has forgotten about the middle of the country, spent too long rehashing old fights, and lacked coordination in delivering a strong counter to Trump.
After the Iowa focus group, Slotkin’s schedule included headlining a fundraiser and a county party dinner. She also held a health care-focused town hall with state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat seeking to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn in one of the country’s most competitive House races. At the event in Des Moines, Slotkin emphasized concerns about the health care system that she said she hears across the country.
Slotkin told the audience she wanted to win in November and tied that goal to what she called the need for honesty about where the Democratic Party should go. She said, “I want to win in November,” adding that doing so requires “being honest about where the Democratic Party needs to go.” She also argued that “The debate is not between progressive and moderate,” and said: “It’s fight or flight.”
The trip also came amid shifting Democratic politics around which states should have a first role in presidential nomination calendars. Iowa Democrats have argued about their state going first in 2028, and Michigan is also vying for the early Midwest position, though the Democratic National Committee has not yet decided. Slotkin, who visited Iowa used to hold “more obvious significance” for Democrats before the party changed the early nominating calendar, did not say she was making any announcement.
“I’m not announcing anything,” Slotkin told reporters Tuesday, and she joked about Iowa and Michigan’s “cage match” for the early position. The ambition did not impress every voter at the lunch. Ed Klavins, a retiree from Urbandale who participated in the focus group, said he did not know Slotkin was the guest and that he was paid $200 plus lunch to attend.
Klavins said he wants politicians on both sides of the aisle who challenge their party’s status quo. He described himself as having voted for Trump and said he believes Trump is succeeding in putting national security first, including actions he pointed to such as closing the U.S.-Mexico border and eliminating the threat Iran poses to national security. Klavins also said Slotkin showing up to listen “makes her a little more genuine in my eyes,” adding, “I like her.”