Former Democratic State Rep. Jim Slezak announced today that he will run as a Republican to replace the retiring Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Mich., in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Slezak builds his early message around a plank familiar to observers of the Congressional Black Caucus. “[President Obama] came to Flint [Mich.] on the campaign trail,” Slezak said, “but has ignored us as President while unemployment and government spending have skyrocketed.” Slezak reiterated the point moments later, saying that Obama has “found time to go to Holland on the west side of the state twice. But not once has he been to Flint to work with us on job creation.”
President Obama has visited a green car battery plant in West Michigan twice since his election, which the local mayor said was “remarkable and unprecedented for our community.”
Slezak’s decision to take a shot at the leader of his former party echoes complaints made by members of the Congressional Black Caucus. For instance, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., criticized the president at an event in Detroit, Mich., for “not [being] in any black community” during his Midwest bus tour last month.
You can see Slezak’s announcement video below.
