Latest news with #Slotkin
Axios
a day ago
- Business
- Axios
Exclusive: Dems propose corporate PAC ban
A group of congressional Democrats wants to ban for-profit corporations from forming and using political action committees, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The debate over the power of money in politics divided Democrats in their last two open presidential primaries. It could split them again in 2028. Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) — two potential presidential hopefuls — will introduce the Ban Corporate PACs Act on Tuesday, we're told. The legislation would ban corporations from establishing and managing a PAC or soliciting contributions from stakeholders, and eliminate existing corporate PACs. Using PACs, corporations can make contributions to candidates up to higher limits than individuals. The big picture: Polling indicates Americans believe elected officials are too influenced by money in politics. Kelly said corporate money has "way too much control" over Washington. Slotkin said banning the corporate PACs is a "no-brainer first step" to regaining the trust of the middle class. During the 2024 election, 1,659 corporate PACs spent a total of more than $350 million, according to data from the Federal Election Commission. They raised over $340 million. "I talked to two of my Republican colleagues recently about these corporate PACs. ... There is bipartisan interest," Kelly told Axios in an interview Tuesday. "Does that interest turn into bipartisan legislation? We'll have to see." Between the lines: Kelly and Slotkin have pledged to reject corporate PAC money, and have done so in their past campaigns.
New York Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Dem Senator Elissa Slotkin complains party is too worried about ‘p—ing off' the Internet
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., says that Democrats are too worried about making people angry and that they 'constrain' themselves too much. During an interview last week on PBS's 'Firing Line with Margaret Hoover,' Hoover asked Slotkin about President Barack Obama's recent criticism of Democrats, where he said that his party should 'toughen up.' 'President Obama chided Democrats, saying they need to 'toughen up' against Donald Trump. You have said we need more 'alpha energy' in the Democratic Party,' Hoover told Slotkin. Slotkin agreed, and Hoover asked if she and Obama are 'saying the same thing.' 'I don't know if we're saying the exact same thing, but it sort of smells the same, right,' Slotkin said. 'And I think this idea that Democrats are so careful, and they're so caveated, and they're so worried about offending each other, offending other people, they're so worried about pissing off people on the Internet. They live often in a world where they constrain themselves.' Hoover then asked if Democrats are 'too sensitive.' 'I think some of them, sure, are too sensitive,' Slotkin said. 'And this is, to me, the central point, especially with Donald Trump in the White House, this is just not a moment to be careful and polite. We need a plan. We need to be on the same page. We need to play as a team. We need to call out when someone isn't helping the team. And we need to hug someone when they do something great.' 3 'They're so worried about pissing off people on the Internet,' Senator Slotkin said about Democrats. 'They live often in a world where they constrain themselves.' PBS 3 Slotkin agreed with Barack Obama's statement that the party should 'toughen up.' 'It sort of smells the same, right,' Slotkin said. Getty Images The PBS host asked Slotkin if she was saying that Republicans are afraid of Trump, and if Democrats 'fear each other's factions.' Slotkin responded by saying that some 'fear' backlash on X, still often referred to as its former name Twitter. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! 'You know, I've been shocked — you know, I'm new to the Senate, six months in — how many of my peers said, 'Well, Elissa, I'd love to be with you on that issue, but, you know, Twitter will be mad. You know, the Internet people will be mad at me,'' Slotkin said. 'They literally say that,' Hoover asked. 3 'Especially with Donald Trump in the White House, this is just not a moment to be careful and polite,' the sentor said. 'We need a plan.' AP 'Yeah. There'll be a bad online response,' Slotkin admitted. Obama's 'toughen up' comments referenced by Hoover were made at a fundraiser in July where he said Democrats should complain less.
Axios
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Exclusive: Sen. Slotkin says Dems are "divided" on Trump 2.0
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said Wednesday there are two differing Democratic perspectives on Trump 2.0: Some say he's an existential threat, while others think he's "bad, but survivable." Why it matters: Slotkin, who won her seat in a state that flipped for President Trump, said the Democratic divide has shifted away from moderate versus progressive.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sen. Slotkin says Harris' fatal flaw was lack of focus, prioritizing 'everything' and therefore 'nothing'
As Democrats reel from their November loss to President Donald Trump, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., called out former Vice President Kamala Harris for failing to win over the electorate. New York Times political reporter Katie Glueck spoke to Slotkin in an interview this week headlined, "Elissa Slotkin Wants Democrats to Reclaim Their 'Alpha Energy.'" "In your recent economic speech, you argued that some Democrats conflate large multinational corporations with small businesses, making it seem to many Americans as if Democrats are anti-business or are vilifying success," Glueck noted, before asking, "But the Harris campaign explicitly emphasized support for small businesses. Why did that effort fail?" "Kamala Harris had a very short time to formulate her campaign. But I don't think I can say with a straight face that the Michigan public felt her main agenda was support for small businesses," Slotkin replied. Tim Walz Says Harris Campaign Media Strategy Fell Way Short "Democrats were saying we were for everything, that everything was a priority, everything was important," the senator added. "And so the American public couldn't understand what we really prioritized and cared about. Donald Trump, whether you believe him or not, prioritized the talking point of cost of living and the economy." Read On The Fox News App She concluded, "Democrats have policy plans on their websites about good things that they support. I still think we have good ideas. But when you prioritize everything, you actually prioritize nothing." This is not the first time Slotkin has called out leadership of the Democratic Party after the election. At the same time however, she herself has been put in the spotlight for vague policy rhetoric. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture She made headlines in April for a speech where she called out her own party as "weak and woke" and urged them to "f---ing retake the flag" as she prepares a "war plan" to defeat Trump and the Republican agenda. However, some have challenged such reformers to specify what progressive cultural policies they will leave behind in order to win back moderates. Fox News Digital reached out to Harris' office and received no immediate article source: Sen. Slotkin says Harris' fatal flaw was lack of focus, prioritizing 'everything' and therefore 'nothing'
New York Post
18-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Democratic lawmaker calls out party for being ‘scared' to offend immigration groups
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., called out the Democratic Party in an interview on Thursday for being 'scared' to offend immigration groups as they navigate the issue. 'The Republicans are fomenting anti-immigrant hate as a policy and a strategy, and Democrats are so scared of offending either immigration groups or people to the left of them — maybe they're in a primary, they are concerned about saying: 'No, not everyone gets to be here. Not everyone has the right to live in the United States, and we, like every other country in the world, get to know who and what is coming across our borders,'' Slotkin told The New York Times in an interview. Slotkin argued that most Americans agree that immigrants are integral to the American economy, but they want immigrants to come here legally and through 'vetted channels.' 'That kind of clamping down with rules tends to make a lot of my Democratic colleagues really nervous,' she added. 'There's been a lot of ink spilled about advocacy groups that don't seem to represent a lot of voters. We saw that in real time in this last election, when no one had a bigger swing toward Trump than Latinos. Some of these groups were trotting around Washington saying they represent the immigrant community, and they clearly did not,' Slotkin said. 3 Sen. Elissa Slotkin took a shot at the Democratic Party for being 'scared' to call out immigration groups when it comes to the U.S. border crisis. AP Slotkin also said she thought Democrats had lost their 'alpha-energy.' The Michigan senator said 'alpha-energy' was about emotion. 'We respond to people's pain with a long list of wonky policies,' Slotkin continued. 3 In an interview with The New York Times, Slotkin said, 'The Republicans are fomenting anti-immigrant hate as a policy and a strategy, and Democrats are so scared of offending either immigration groups or people to the left of them.' diy13 – 'Alpha energy is synonymous with being bold. Call the tough play, take a risk, be bold. And don't be so damn scared of your own shadow.' Slotkin delivered the official response to President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress in March. She criticized Trump's foreign policy and called for 'responsible' ways to make changes to the government. 3 Slotkin's take is that the majority of U.S. citizens believe immigrants are vital to the economy, though they do not want them to come to this country illegally. AP 'We all want an end to the war in Ukraine, but Reagan understood that true strength required America to combine our military and economic might with moral clarity,' Slotkin said after Trump's address. 'As a Cold War kid, I'm thankful it was Reagan and not Trump in office in the 1980s. Trump would have lost us the Cold War.'
