Harris campaign ‘underwater’ in key battleground state, Dem rep warns donors

Democratic Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running for a Senate seat this cycle, recently warned donors that Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is “underwater” in the key battleground state, according to a report. 

“I’m not feeling my best right now about where we are on Kamala Harris in a place like Michigan,” Slotkin told donors during a virtual campaign event with Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker last Wednesday, according to Axios. 

“We have her underwater in our polling,” Slotkin added, according to audio Axios obtained from the event. 

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Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who is running for Senate, is reportedly concerned President Biden being atop the ticket will keep her from wining the state’s open seat.  (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Latest polling shows former President Donald Trump closing in on Harris in the key battleground states of both Michigan and neighboring Wisconsin. Harris received 48% of support among likely Michigan voters in a New York Times/Siena College poll this week, while Trump garnered 47% support in the poll — effectively locking the pair in a tie well within the poll’s margin of error. 

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Rep. Elissa Slotkin reportedly told donors that Michigan, one of the most important swing states that will likely determine the 2024 presidential election, is showing low enthusiasm for Vice President Harris. (Getty Images)

A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll of likely voters in the Great Lake State released last week found Harris was up three points over Trump. That poll had a 4.4% margin of error.

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Michigan is once again a key battleground state this year, as Harris and Trump zigzag campaign events across the state, as well as in other key states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin. 

US Vice President Kamala Harris during a campaign event at the Philip Chosky Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (Rebecca Droke/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Axios article noted that if Trump secures votes from the Sunbelt States across the southern portion of the U.S., he would only need to win either Michigan, Wisconsin or Pennsylvania to declare victory. While Harris’ easiest path to victory is locking down Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Trump won Michigan in his 2016 election against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by a 0.23% margin. President Biden won by 2.78% in the state in 2020 when he faced off against Trump. 

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Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump listens at a town hall campaign event at Macomb Community College, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Warren, Michigan. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Slotkin, who has served in the U.S. House since 2019, announced her Senate run last year after Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow said she would not seek re-election. Her remarks that Harris is “underwater” in Michigan could have been campaign rhetoric to drum up donations, but the campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry for additional comment on the campaign event.

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Fox News Digital also reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on the report, but did not receive a reply. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.