In the wake of Politico’s report that Justice Samuel Alito is considering retirement, Michigan Senator and possible 2028 presidential candidate Elissa Slotkin, called for both term limits and age limits for Supreme Court justices.
Her message on X was brief was and definitive:
We should see this for what it is: a political play by a Supreme Court justice who has long prioritized partisan politics over the Constitution. It’s time for term limits AND age limits for the Supreme Court. https://t.co/FYoGwsps5l
— Elissa Slotkin (@ElissaSlotkin) October 6, 2026
It’s an interesting move, politically, because it puts her to the right of the far left (which has called for more Supreme Court justices), but her call is also more progressive than we’ve seen from previous centrist Democrats, which seems to be the lane Slotkin is running in (okay, probably is running in).
To wit: when talking of the possibility of running for president, she laid forth clearly in the center (and purchased the plane tickets to spread her message to, oh, states like Iowa).
Michigan Public Radio from June 8:
Slotkin said a political figure from a midwestern swing state might appeal to a broad swath of voters across the country who are more interested in problem-solving than ideology.
“I think we’re a practical, reasonable people who know how to work hard,” she said. “No one would ever call us flashy. We just put our heads down and get things done, and that is what we need more of, certainly in my party, but I think in both.”
And even though she didn’t endorse him in the primary, she is supporting and now campaigning for Al-Sayed in Michigan’s general election, while maintaining that she supports the Jewish state, telling a Politco Summit that: “I believe in a Jewish state of Israel, yes. And to me that isn’t a radical thing to say….I can say that in the same breath that I criticize the military policy of Bibi Netanyahu.”
That’s actually become a pretty centrist view for a general election.
The latest Gallup polling shows 57% support for a 2-state solution with 28% opposing it. Young groups and progressives might be increasingly moving against Israel, but again, the most reliable voters (older age groups) are more likely to side with Israel.
Sloktin has generally focused on the kind of issues less likely to rev up the progressive base, but more likely to motivate centrist Democrats and independents.
She often talks of the Four Corners of the Kitchen Table when making her pitch: housing, healthcare, food, and electricity bills. Here she is earlier this year.
The thing threatening our country more than Russia, China, or Iran is America’s shrinking middle class. This moment calls for us to go on offense – focusing ruthlessly on lowering costs for the Four Corners of the Kitchen Table: housing, healthcare, food, and electricity bills. https://t.co/z9wYwb9buB
— Elissa Slotkin (@ElissaSlotkin) March 26, 2026
And at the Iowa Polk County Democratic Dinner, Slotkin further distanced herself from the coastal elites, per Henry Gomez’s reporting.
“Us Midwestern Democrats need to stick together. It’s a tough thing to be a Midwestern Democrat, right?”
“Sometimes,” Slotkin added, “the national party forgets about the middle of the country or forgets about us until the federal elections or national elections.”
Finally, here’s the surprising thing.
Despite her interest and despite the fact that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is showing fewer signs of being interested in a run, Slotkin only registers at .5% on Kalshi.
That makes her a darkhorse and one who’s pretty good at creating viral moments (her interview on Maher’s show, for example) and presenting what I’d call a “dogmatic centrist Democratic” pitch.
Why, exactly, is Rahm Emanuel (charting a similar course) a stronger favorite on Kalshi right now?
Who can really go farther in a nominating contest? Centrist and fresh-faced Slotkin seems to have more upside as a darkhorse than Centrist Emanuel, who’s firmly of the old guard of Democrats.
Keep an eye on her.
