Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running in a new congressional district this cycle, moved into a condo owned by a lobbyist — who also donates ...
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running in a new congressional district this cycle, moved into a condo owned by a lobbyist — who also donates to her campaign — to run for the new congressional seat where she is trying to get elected, Fox News first reported.
The congresswoman currently represents Michigan’s Eighth Congressional District in the House but decided to run in the Seventh Congressional District after the once-in-a-decade redistricting process that moved around the maps in the Great Lake State.
In September 2021, Slotkin told the Ingham County Democrats during their monthly meeting that she would run in whichever congressional district was based in Lansing, Michigan.
“From my perspective, if the district moves and is a Lansing-based district, and that is the district that’s most natural for me to run in, then I will move and live in the Lansing area and run in the Lansing district,” she said.
Fox reported that the Michigan voter registration data showed that Slotkin updated her voting address in May to an address in Lansing owned by Jerry Hollister. Hollister is an executive at Niowave Inc., a Lansing-based pharmaceutical manufacturer receiving millions in federal funding.
The congresswoman’s campaign had denied to Fox that Sloktin’s taxpayer-funded official office advocated for or was involved in any of Hollister’s company’s contracts and claimed that she pays “fair market rent” for the home.
The report noted that Hollister is the chief operating officer and director of government relations at Niowave. His LinkedIn profile states his responsibilities are “to continue developing Congres[s]ional relationships, local community relationships, and media relationships important to continued growth.”
USASpending.gov showed that Niowave had been awarded nearly $30 million in federal funding since January 2019, when the congresswoman was first elected to office. Additionally, Fox noted that in 2019 and 2022, the company received significantly more money.
His LinkedIn profile also shows that he is the principal consultant at BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting LLC., another Michigan-based technology consulting company. He noted under the company’s name that he assists the company with applying for grants.
Hollister, along with his wife and son, are all registered to vote at the address of Sloktin’s new home since the family purchased the property in 2020, according to Fox, noting that the Sloktins’ new home happens to be the same as the business address of J. Hollister LLC, which is another company through which he does activities related to government contracting and procurement, as well as operations management.
Records kept with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) also showed that Hollister is a frequent donor to the congresswoman’s campaign.
Slotkin’s campaign spokesperson, Lynsey Mukomel, told Fox that this was one of the ways the congressman’s Republican opponent, Michigan State Sen. Tom Barrett, “attempts to twist the facts.” Mukomel added:
Congresswoman Slotkin pays market rate rent for her home in Lansing, just like millions of tenants in Michigan, and previous attempts to twist the facts have failed with other outlets for that reason… This is nothing more than an attempt by Tom Barrett’s weak campaign to distract from his five votes to block thousands of jobs at a new GM plant in his own backyard, his opposition to the bipartisan CHIPS Act and his failed attempt to cover up his dangerous position to ban all abortions in Michigan, even in instances of rape or incest.
Fox noted that a “source” close to Slotkin’s campaign told the news organization that Niowave had been receiving federal funds since 2007, which was more than a decade before she ran for office.
Fox reported more about the source:
A source close to Slotkin’s campaign said that Niowave had been receiving federal funds since 2007, more than a decade before Slotkin took office, and that any funds they received after she took office was not advocated for, worked on or related in any way to her or her staff.
The source pointed to other individuals besides Hollister employed by Niowave who had contributed to Republican Rep. John Moolenaar’s re-election campaign in 2020, highlighting that contributions from employees of the company were bipartisan.
The source also provided a copy of the lease Slotkin signed to rent Hollister’s property, showing her paying $2,000 monthly for rent, and expiring in November of this year. The source added that Slotkin plans to purchase a home in the Lansing area once the lease expires, and that the housing market had made buying a challenge earlier in the year.
Hollister did not return Fox’s request for comment.
The Republican National Congressional Committee spokesman, Mike Berg, said this shows the congresswoman is part of the “corrupt DC swamp.”
“Elissa Slotkin didn’t live in the district she wants to represent, so she moved into her campaign donor’s home,” Berg said in a statement. “The fact that this campaign donor is also a lobbyist who has received millions in government contracts proves Elissa Slotkin has become part of the corrupt DC swamp.”
An internal poll conducted in June showed Barrett in the lead when facing Slotkin.
Tom Barrett speaks behind a podium (Tom Barrett for Congress).
Barrett led the incumbent 46.1 percent to 44.6 percent, with 10.3 percent undecided. However, the poll noted that Slotkin is sitting at under 50 percent on the ballot — which is the worse level she has had since winning the seat in 2018 — even though she has nearly 100 percent name recognition.
Barrett, an Army veteran — whom Slotkin has attacked for training with the Army — was elected to the Michigan House in 2014 and then was elected to the state Senate in 2018. The two will face off on November 8.
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