Hill Harper Announces His Run For Senate In Michigan

Mya Abraham
·3 min read
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Hill Harper, author and actor best known for his roles on The Good Doctor, Limitless, and CSI: NY, has announced his bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Michigan. The single father is serving as a progressive challenger to frontrunner U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin during his first run for public office.

“We’re in a state where I think the triple blue leadership in Lansing has done really hard work moving the state forward, but in Washington, D.C., it’s still broken. And folks feel like it’s still broken. And I’m one of them,” Harper, 57, explained to The Detroit News. “Without energized, bold leadership in the U.S. Senate, our state will continue to be held back from achieving its full potential. We deserve a better brand of politics than politics as usual, and that’s why I’m running for the U.S. Senate.”

The Iowa native feels the Senate is lacking a “richness” of diversity and he intends to help fill that void. Currently, there are only three Black men in the U.S. Senate — Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, and Tim Scott, R-South Carolina — and no Black women.

“People want to see themselves reflected in their representation, and right now Michiganders don’t feel that way about their Washington, D.C., representation. As an example, if I’m elected to the U.S. Senate, I will be the only U.S. senator who is a current dues-paying, card-carrying union member. If I’m elected to the U.S. Senate, I will be one of very few small business owners in the U.S. Senate and, I believe, the only Democrat,” he added.

Slotkin, Harper’s opponent, “flipped a GOP-held seat in 2018 and has run three times in competitive swing districts. She’s known as a tireless campaigner and prolific fundraiser.” She’s already been campaigning for four months and has raised over $5.8 million.

Harper launched his campaign on Monday (July 10) and stated that his goals include ending the legislative filibuster, investing in clean energy and transportation as a means of combating climate change, supporting “universal” healthcare coverage for all, and increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

He concluded, “We need to have more people choose Michigan, like I chose Michigan. We need more people, more businesses to move here and to create jobs. We need more graduates to stay and to start businesses here. We can do that if we fight for it, and that’s what I plan to do.”

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