Will Hill Harper’s Grassroots Surge Be Enough to Close the Gap in Michigan’s Senate Race?

By Cody Yarbrough, Contributing Writer For almost a year now, Hill Harper has been running an intense grassroots political campaign for Michigan’s senate seat. He’s stopped at every small business opening he could. He’s visited a new church almost every Sunday morning. And he’s spoken to every local community leader who would hear him out. His strategy seems to be working, too, depending on who you ask. According to a survey sponsored by the MIRS (Michigan Information & Research Service), his community-based campaign strategy has landed him the No. 2 spot in the Democrat primary polls. The bad news, however, is that the survey has Democrat frontrunner Elissa Slotkin commanding a huge 57% of the vote compared to Harper’s 11%. It goes without saying that the former actor and author has some catching up to do, and with the August primary less than three months away, he has to catch up fast. The deficit Harper faces might come as a surprise to some. After all, a well-known Black man running as a Democrat should be doing pretty well in a state with a Black mecca such as Detroit. However, once you speak to Black voters in the city of Detroit,...