On Tuesday night, the most dramatic race in Michigan may have been the 8th Congressional district. Former CIA officer and Democrat Elissa Slotkin defeated Republican incumbent Mike Bishop in a race that literally turned around for her in the 11th hour.
Slotkin tells The Associated Press that Bishop congratulated her by phone early Wednesday. She won by a razor-thin point 7 percent of the vote.
As of 4:30 a.m., the Associated Press had not called the race.
The district covers parts of Ingham and Oakland counties — including several Detroit suburbs — and was one of several GOP-held seats Democrats hoped to flip in Tuesday's midterm election.
She says her win represents the return of what she calls “the Midwestern Democrat.”
"[Someone who is] willing to work across the aisle and laser-focused on the very basic idea that all hard working American families deserve a fair shake," said Rep.-elect Slotkin. “People care deeply about their government working. They care deeply about the tone that’s set by leadership at the top. They voted their conscience. And I was really proud to run a campaign that was open to people across the political spectrum.”
Libertarian Party candidate Brian Ellison and U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate David Lillis also ran for the seat.
Bishop had been seeking a third term in the House.
Slotkin worked as a CIA analyst under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. She advocated during the campaign for public service and said that if elected, she would push for affordable health care.