Both candidates for the hotly contested 7th Congressional District each cast their ballot Tuesday morning.
The newly re-drawn district includes much of Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, Shiawassee, and Livingston counties.
Democrat Elissa Slotkin currently represents some of the areas that are part of the existing 8th District.
She moved to Lansing so she could continue to represent the area in Congress.
We caught up with her at her polling place in the Capital City and she said she’s preparing for a long night and a close race.
“You know, you just got to get comfortable with stress and not knowing, and making judgement calls and trusting your gut,” Slotkin said. “You believe that people are smarter than the attack ads give them credit for.”
It turns out that those feelings are one thing Slotkin and her challenger can agree on.
Republican Tom Barrett, a current State Senator, made similar comments after casting his ballot in Eaton County this morning.
“We’re excited to be here on Election Day,” Barrett said. “We’re cautiously optimistic heading into the final stretch of this. You know, with folks casting their ballots today, we’re excited and we’re going to be watching anxiously later tonight.”
With this race, it’s more than just this one congressional seat that’s at stake. Both candidates know this is one of the few races across the nation that could decide which party will control the U.S. House of Representatives.
