Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) told Kamala Harris supporters that the vice president’s numbers are “underwater” in Michigan, according to audio obtained by Axios.
“I’m not feeling my best right now about where we are on Kamala Harris in a place like Michigan,” Slotkin said Wednesday during a virtual campaign event with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Axios reported Sunday.
“We have her underwater in our polling,” Slotkin went on, per the outlet.
Both Harris and former President Donald Trump have made Michigan a priority in their swing state outreach, as winning the state would be a huge boost to their 270 needed electoral votes.
The campaigns are eyeing multiple paths to victory , but if Trump sweeps the Sun Belt, he would need just one Blue Wall state to put him over the top.
Harris would have to win the states Biden won in 2020 for an easy path, including Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
The 45th president won Michigan in 2016, but lost narrowly by 2.78% to President Biden.
Polls show Harris slightly leading in the Wolverine State, with RealClearPolitics averaging her lead as 48.9% to Trump’s 47.5%.
The latest New York Times/ Siena poll has her up by only one point – 48% to the former president’s 47%.
But a recent poll from Atlas Intel has Trump leading by four points: 51%-47%.
As November draws nearer, the Trump campaign has deployed VP pick Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) to heavily campaign in Rust Belt states like Michigan.
Both Harris and Trump have made appeals to restore American manufacturing and have courted the union vote — a factor that pushed Biden above Trump in 2020.
Michigan was a headache for Biden’s campaign as anti-Israel protesters threatened to vote “uncommitted” if he didn’t change his policies in the Israel-Hamas war. Harris was interrupted by protesters in August in a test exchange, but hasn’t had the same presence of protesters on the campaign trail that Biden experienced.
Slotkin’s comments could have been a front to get more fundraising dollars, but her comments remain unclear as a spokesperson for the congresswoman did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Post.
The Harris campaign has said previously that they need voters to turn out because the state of the race is “tied.”
