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Slotkin Road-Tests a Midwest Playbook in Iowa, Keeps 2028 Option Open

The trip spotlights a plan to win back Trump country through voter listening paired with a public-option pitch.

Overview

  • During a Tuesday swing through Iowa, Sen. Elissa Slotkin met five Trump voters in an Indianola focus group that paid participants $200 and withheld her party affiliation until the end.
  • She later headlined a health-care town hall in Des Moines with state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, calling for a public insurance option and pointing to local strain from Medicaid cuts and clinic closures.
  • Pressed on 2028, Slotkin said she "wouldn't say no forever" to a presidential run, while emphasizing that her priority is helping Democrats in the 2026 midterms.
  • Her core message argued Democrats must rebuild trust in the Midwest, saying what works in the middle of the country can carry to the coasts, not the reverse.
  • The Iowa visit fits a wider tour of Trump-won states and follows her role in a video urging service members to refuse "illegal orders," which drew attacks from President Trump and a Justice Department review.