Who is Elissa Slotkin? First time Senator set to deliver Democrat's rebuttal to Donald Trump's speech

Elissa Slotkin, a first-time senator from Michigan, was chosen to give the official response from Democrats to President Donald Trump's speech in Congress on Tuesday. Her role was announced by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Slotkin asserted that she will address a multitude of topics in her rebuttal to Trump.

“From our economic security to our national security, we’ve got to chart a way forward that actually improves people’s lives in the country we all love, and I’m looking forward to laying that out,” she said in the press release.

Trump’s inaugural speech in Congress during will be focused on the theme, “Renewal of the American Dream.” Congressman Adriano Espaillat will give the party’s response in Spanish.

Who is Elissa Slotkin?

Slotkin is a former CIA analyst. She served three tours in Iraq alongside the US military. Slotkin has previously worked in national security roles at the Pentagon and the White House under President Bush and President Obama.

She decided to make her political debut in 2018 when she flipped a long-held Republican seat from Michigan in the House of Representatives. Elissa Slotkin was reelected in 2020 and 2022. Last year, she contested for Senate, succeeding Debbie Stabenow.

She was one of four Democrats to win Senate seats in states won by Trump, after narrowly defeating Mike Rogers.

Why was Elissa Slotkin chosen?

Slotkin is seen as an important figure in the Democratic Party's next generation. Chuck Schumer described the 48-year-old as "nothing short of a rising star."

Though, Elissa Slotkin has often defied the party line. She was one of 12 Democrat senators who voted for the Laken Riley Act, which mandated harsher detention rules for undocumented immigrants who were suspected of violent crimes.

She is not afraid of pointing out lapses in the party's functioning. “We didn’t do as good a job as we could have at showing what our priorities are,” Slotkin told AP after Trump’s victory in November last year.