Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin privately warned donors that her internal campaign polling shows Donald Trump leading in the swing state, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
She also appeared to take a dig at President Joe Biden’s age, praising out-going Michigan senator Debbie Stabenow, a 74-year-old Democrat, for "doing a radical thing and passing the torch" by declining to run for reelection, the paper reported.
"Right now, President Biden is behind Trump in all of our polling and this Senate race is in a dead heat," said Slotkin, a U.S. congresswoman, on a private phone call with donors on Tuesday, according to the Times.
Michigan is a crucial swing state for the presidential race, and the state’s Senate election could also determine party control of the upper chamber next year.
A spokesman for Republican Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers said he agreed with Slotkin’s view that Biden is losing the state.
"What she said," Rogers’s spokesman Chris Gustafson told the Washington Free Beacon. "Biden’s going to lose Michigan and drag her down with him."
Slotkin’s candid assessment of the race is likely to fuel concerns from Democrats about Biden’s ability to win Michigan in November. While public polling in the state has shown Biden and former president Donald Trump in a dead heat, Slotkin’s comments indicate deepening trouble on the ground for Democrats.
Slotkin’s remarks are also a contrast to her public posture. The congresswoman has spent the last week avoiding questions about whether she thinks Biden should step aside.
Biden has been working to shore up his support in Michigan. He announced this week that he will visit Detroit on Friday, his fourth stop in the state this year. Slotkin’s campaign didn’t respond to an inquiry from the Free Beacon about whether she will appear with Biden during his trip.
Slotkin is the frontrunner in the Democratic primary, and Rogers is the frontrunner in the Republican primary. The primary elections will take place on August 6.