Democratic Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin (Mich.) celebrated an endorsement from a far-left group that lobbies for "defunding the police" and providing government-funded health care for illegal immigrants.
Slotkin touted Reproductive Freedom for All’s support for her campaign, writing on X, formerly Twitter, that she was "grateful for this endorsement." The influential abortion rights group, which previously went by the name NARAL Pro-Choice America, said it was backing Slotkin because she has "consistently received a 100%" rating on its congressional voting scorecard.
"Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin is dedicated to fighting for our fundamental freedoms and democracy," said Reproductive Freedom for All in a statement this month. "We need Rep. Slotkin’s voice representing Michganers [sic] in the U.S. Senate to lock the federal right to abortion into law and expand access across our nation."
Reproductive Freedom for All’s website says it "support[s] the demands of the Movement for Black Lives, including defunding the police," describing the anti-police movement as a necessary "response to hundreds of years of systemic oppression and the failure of reforms to address urgent needs and injustices."
The organization has spent years lobbying to cut off police funding. In 2021, Reproductive Freedom for All wrote that it was "past time to defund the police," in a post on Twitter.
"After multiple failed attempts to change the culture of policing, it’s clear that police have not succeeded in reckoning with the generations of systemic racism, oppression, and state violence it has engaged in," said the group. "We must continue to do better."
Reproductive Freedom for All’s website also says it supports government policies to provide "affordable" abortions to illegal immigrants "regardless of immigration status."
Slotkin’s praise for the group comes after Democrats have spent the past few years trying to distance themselves from the unpopular "defund the police" movement, which is supported by the party’s left-leaning base. Earlier this month, Slotkin and a majority of Democratic House members voted for a Republican-backed resolution that "condemns calls to defund the police" and accuses anti-police activists of provoking "violence towards law enforcement officers."
She is not the only Democratic candidate in a competitive Senate race to embrace Reproductive Freedom for All. Earlier this month, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D., Wis.) hosted a roundtable discussion about abortion with Reproductive Freedom for All’s president, Mini Timmaraju, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
New Jersey Democratic House candidate Sue Altman also touted an endorsement from the group in May.
The race for the open Senate seat in Michigan is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country, and could determine party control of the upper chamber next year. Slotkin is the frontrunner in the Democratic primary, scheduled for August. The crowded Republican field includes former Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.), businessman Sandy Pensler, and Justin Amash, an isolationist former congressman.